A Small Light review: Bel Powley leads a stylistically muddled but powerful drama
The historical drama tells a powerful tale and is well-judged tonally, but a few stylistic flourishes make it an uneven watch.
In retrospect, having watched A Small Light, it's shocking how little the name Miep Gies has infiltrated the public consciousness.
That's not to say a lot of people don't know her name, they do. But the depth and detail of her story is far less widely understood and discussed in comparison with how incredible her actions and her life were.
Given that, this drama already has a gripping story and a worthy educational message on its side. The eight-part series stars Bel Powley as Miep, a young woman living in the Netherlands who helped to hide Anne Frank and her family during the Nazi occupation.
The show also stars Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank, Joe Cole as Miep's fiancé Jan, Eleanor Tomlinson as her friend Tess and Noah as Jewish dentist Dr Pfeffer, who was hidden with the Frank family, as well as many others.
The series takes a number of interesting routes in to discussing this story, and in doing so makes itself both distinct from most period dramas, but also somewhat lacking stylistic cohesion.
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Firstly, there's the feel of the series, which immediately stands out as being surprisingly contemporary. There is no use of period-specific language; instead the dialogue feels as though imported from any other modern drama and the characters feel similarly current in their attitudes and behaviours.
Powley in particular fits in to this mould, playing Miep as a thoroughly modern woman, just dressed in the costuming and sets of a period piece.
Then there's the accents, which also play into this disconnect between visual and performance styles. The decision has been made here that German nationals should speak in German accents, while native Dutch speakers should speak in English accents. Not only that but their own specific accents, no alterations for region or tone.
It's a smart move for two reasons: one, it stops any awkward attempts at the notoriously difficult-to-master Dutch accent in their tracks; and two, it adds to the sense of 'othering' and alienation the Germans feel.
However, it also gives the whole drama an unreal, somewhat uncanny feel, as the performances often end up feeling as though they come from different series entirely.
Finally, there's the look of the show, which largely sticks to the slightly washed-out, sepia-toned style of so many historical dramas. It's not visually off-putting, but has a somewhat dulling effect on the shocking events unfolding on screen.
All of this makes for a somewhat muddled viewing experience, as each of the separate visions jostles to be the primary one and threatens to overwhelm the powerful story at the centre.
However, just because stylistically this series is a bit of a hodge-podge of ideas, there's still a whole lot to admire here. For instance, Liev Schreiber is fantastic as Otto Frank, bringing a gravitas to the role that's both fundamental to the storytelling which also plays nicely off Powley's high-energy performance.
Meanwhile Powley and Cole make their characters charming and warm, and the attention to detail afforded by the eight-hour running time means we really get into the minutiae of this story and these characters.
The pacing is strong and the story remains engaging and fascinating throughout, while the emotion, when it lands, does truly work.
It's hard-hitting, in the way it absolutely should be, but treads an impressive tonal line of both acknowledging the horror of what it's discussing while also not spending all of its time there. These are characters with full lives which include lighter moments such as jokes amongst family and friends, and the series acknowledges that.
It's also a smart decision for the drama to be centred on Miep, rather than specifically on Anne and her family. Not only does it expose viewers to a whole new, compelling angle on the story and on the Holocaust as a whole, but it also allows for a substantial exploration of the wider resistance movement in Amsterdam at the time.
The important thing is that the stylistic flourishes of the piece don't get in the way of such a compelling and important story, and thankfully, when it comes down to it, they don't.
Speaking with RadioTimes.com ahead of the series's release, director Susanna Fogel revealed that the team's intention was to make the drama "engaging, entertaining, visual and appealing to people who don't watch historical pieces".
They also wanted to make it "appealing to people who are on Disney Plus and they just finished watching Obi-Wan and then they see that this looks like it might be interesting". Fogel said this approach, which could lead to viewers wanting to Google the story and learn more, "could be a force for good".
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It's an admirable intention, but how well that will work is unclear. The look of the series is so typically period drama that the contemporary flourishes are likely to be more of a confusion and a distraction than a draw.
However, it's still a emotionally weighty series with some impressive central performances, a truly incredibly real-life story to tell and an interesting, if not 100 per cent successful, approach to doing so. And in trying to reveal this story to a wider audience, it should be applauded.
A Small Light will be available to stream on Disney Plus from Thursday 2nd May 2023. Sign up to Disney Plus now for £7.99 per month or £79.90 for a full year.
Check out our list of the best movies on Disney Plus and best shows on Disney Plus, or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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