A Small Light
A Small Light is a biographical drama miniseries that premiered May 1, 2023 on National Geographic and streamed on Disney+ and Hulu the following day.[1]
| A Small Light | |
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| Genre | Biographical drama |
| Written by |
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| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 6 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
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| Release | |
| Original network | National Geographic |
Premise
Secretary Miep Gies helps her Jewish employer Otto Frank, his family, and other Jewish refugees go into hiding during World War II after the German invasion of the Netherlands.
Cast
- Bel Powley as Miep Gies
- Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank
- Joe Cole as Jan Gies
- Amira Casar as Edith Frank
- Billie Boullet as Anne Frank
- Ashley Brooke as Margot Frank
- Eleanor Tomlinson as Tess
- Liza Sadovy as Mrs. Stoppelman
- Andy Nyman as Hermann Van Pels
- Caroline Catz as Auguste Van Pels
- Rudi Goodman as Peter Van Pels
- Noah Taylor as Dr. Friedrich "Fritz" Pfeffer
- Daniel Donskoy as Karl Josef Silberbauer
- Sean Hart as Willem Arondéus
Episodes
| No. | Title [2] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [2] | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Susanna Fogel | Joan Rater & Tony Phelan | May 1, 2023 | TBD | |
| In 1933 Amsterdam, Miep is an aimless young woman who is hired as a secretary by Otto Frank at Opekta. Otto, who is Jewish, recently fled Nazi Germany, and he's been unable to secure a visa to the United States. His family soon follows him to Amsterdam. Miep begins a romance with the shy Jan Gies, and they eventually marry. In 1940, the Nazis swiftly invade the Netherlands. In 1942, Miep agrees to help the Frank family hide in a concealed apartment above the Opekta offices. Otto's eldest daughter, Margot, is given a deportation order to a work camp, and so Miep hides her before the rest of the Franks. Jan is angry that Miep did not discuss the matter with him, but is ultimately proud of her. | ||||||
| 2 | "Welcome to Switzerland" | Susanna Fogel | Joan Rater & Tony Phelan | May 1, 2023 | TBD | |
| Miep and her fellow employees keep the office running while the Franks shelter in the attic apartment. The Van Pels family arrives to hide with the Franks. Miep and Jan's landlady, Mrs. Stoppelman, allows her daughter, Jewish son-in-law, and their children to stay at her apartment. Miep and Jan arrange to get the Franks and Van Pels fake ID papers to secure more food rations. Miep's Jewish dentist, Dr. Pfeffer, is also allowed to hide in the attic. Jan is recruited by his superiors at work to join the Dutch resistance, but he's instructed not to tell Miep. A Nazi officer returns Mrs. Stoppelman's grandchildren to her home and informs Jan that the children's parents have been arrested. | ||||||
| 3 | "Motherland" | Susanna Fogel | William Harper | May 8, 2023 | TBD | |
| Laws against Jews are intensifying, landing two small children in Miep and Jan's care, strengthening Jan's ties to the resistance and bringing up Miep's issues with her past abandonment. | ||||||
| 4 | "The Butterfly" | Leslie Hope | Ben Esler | May 8, 2023 | TBD | |
| Miep tries to reconcile her old life with her new one but is forced to choose between her morals and her lifelong best friend while trying to bring some form of holiday cheer to the lives of those in the annex. | ||||||
| 5 | "Scheißfeld" | Lesile Hope | William Harper | May 15, 2023 | TBD | |
| Miep and Jan's marriage struggles as Jan puts his resistance work above all else, including his own life and his wife's wishes, culminating in a huge blow to the Nazis by the resistance that leaves Miep clueless as to Jan's whereabouts. | ||||||
| 6 | "Boiling Point" | Tony Phelan | Alyssa Margarite Jacobson | May 15, 2023 | TBD | |
| Amsterdam has been almost emptied of Jews, which means the Jewish council is next. Miep and Jan struggle to find a way out of the city for Max, his wife, and two Jewish nurses as they try to remain quiet for their new Nazi upstairs neighbor. | ||||||
| 7 | "What Can Be Saved" | TBA | TBA | May 22, 2023 | TBD | |
| Miep and Jan's worst fear has come true, but Miep refuses to lose hope. She's determined to take control of the situation, even if that means befriending the enemy and begging him for mercy. | ||||||
| 8 | "Legacy" | TBA | TBA | May 22, 2023 | TBD | |
| People are freezing and starving all over Amsterdam as the end of the war drags on. Miep keeps it together through it all and even manages to keep Opekta running in the hopes that her friends will have something to return to. | ||||||
Production
It was announced in February 2022 that Disney+ had greenlit the miniseries from National Geographic, which Tony Phelan and Joan Rater will write and Susanna Fogel directing multiple episodes of the series.[3] In April, Bel Powley was cast as Gies, with Liev Schreiber starring as Otto Frank and Joe Cole as Jan Gies.[4] Amira Casar, Billie Boullet and Ashley Brooke would join in June, with Boullet cast as Anne Frank.[5]
Production began by July 2022,[6] with filming taking place between Hradec Králové, Prague and Amsterdam in summer 2022.[4]
The series' soundtrack was executive produced and co-produced by Este Haim, and features covers by musicians including Danielle Haim, Kamasi Washington, Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, Weyes Blood, Remi Wolf, King Princess, Orville Peck, and Moses Sumney. The soundtrack album will be released on May 23, 2023.[7]
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.7/10, based on 28 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Bel Powley's arresting performance burns bright in A Small Light, a sensitive portrait of heroism in the face of all-encompassing tragedy."[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 83 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[9]
References
- Cordero, Rosy (April 4, 2023). "'A Small Light' Trailer: Nat Geo Limited Series Tells Anne Frank Story From Rescuer's Perspective". Deadline. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- "Shows A-Z – A Small Light on NGC". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
- Andreeva, Nellie (February 6, 2022). "Disney+ Orders A Small Light Nat Geo Limited Series About Anne Frank Family's Protector From Tony Phelan, Joan Rater, Susanna Fogel & Keshet". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- Andreeva, Nellie (April 12, 2022). "Bel Powley To Headline A Small Light; Liev Schreiber & Joe Cole Also Star In Disney+ Holocaust Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- Petski, Denise (June 10, 2022). "A Small Light: Amira Casar, Billie Boullet & Ashley Brooke Join Disney+ Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- Echebiri, Makuochi (July 4, 2022). "Liev Schreiber is Open to Returning to Ray Donovan Someday". Collider. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- Aniftos, Rania (April 25, 2023). "Este Haim to Serve as Executive Music Producer on A Small Light National Geographic Series". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- "A Small Light: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- "A Small Light: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved May 7, 2023.