Rebecca Winterich-Knox The Italian film Anita B., based on the autobiographic novel Quanta stella c'è nel cielo by Edith Bruck, tells the moving and often poignant story of a young Holocaust survivor, Anita, sent to live with her aunt Monika and uncle Aron in Czechoslovakia after the end of World War II. Even as a young adolescent, Anita survived Auschwitz, forced to watch her parents perish in the gas chambers. Although the movie does not explicitly recall the terrors Anita endured, we are given glimpses of her life in the concentration camp: at the beginning of the film, she is extraordinarily thin, has a partially shaved head, and is still branded with the tattoo she got in Auschwitz. Anita is determined not to forget her traumatic past, but she is surrounded by people who would rather move on. Her aunt Monika treats her unkindly, as a begrudging reminder of a life she would rather forget. Her uncle's brother Eli, who she begins a romantic affair with, scoffs at her need to talk about the past and tells her "it's over, forget it." The only person Anita can confide in is her young cousin Roby, who is too little to understand.The movie takes a dramatic turn when Anita realizes she is pregnant with Eli's baby. Anita insists that she wants to keep the child, but Eli is angry with her, blaming her for the pregnancy and demands she gets an abortion. At the abortion clinic, the doctor gently asks her if she loves Eli, and after thinking on it, Anita tells him she doesn't. He asks her if she would like to keep the baby, and she tells him she does. Upon waking up from the sleeping gas, Anita realizes the doctor did not perform the abortion after all. Instead, he gives her the money Eli gave to him, and tells her to use it to escape. Anita is able to join up with other Jewish refugees, and at the end of the film we see her in a caravan "traveling light" to Jerusalem; she rejoices that "her only baggage is the future."Although many films have been made recalling life in the concentration camps, fewer recount the difficulties and trauma for survivors that must return to "normal life" afterwards. Anita B. expertly conveys the struggle of a young girl who feels lost in a world she can no longer be a part of. The others in her life— her family and love interest— would rather her forget and move on, but when she attempts to do so, she realizes that she will never be happy living a life she has not chosen for herself. The movie could have ended very differently— although Eli was certainly flawed as a character, we still see that he cared for Anita. If she had been more complacent, she could have adopted a life like her Aunt Monika's: settling down, marrying Eli, and eventually having a family, all the while ignoring her past. Instead, Anita decides it would be betrayal to forget the past. She confronts it directly in escaping Eli with her unborn child, and begins the journey of creating a life for herself that she knows will make her happy. Anita B. is not merely a story about surviving, but also about thriving. We can learn a great deal from Anita's fierce dedication to pursuing freedom at all costs, both during and after World War II.

Hannah Schmidt Anita B. tells the story of a young Holocaust survivor who goes to live with her aunt and uncle in the Czech Republic following the war. When she first arrives, Anita is prohibited from leaving the house until her immigration papers are finished. She cares for and comes to love her little cousin Roby, and she shares a bedroom with her uncle's brother Eli, who treats her less than kindly by attempting to coerce her into a sexual relationship. Prior to the arrival of her papers, Anita gains her family's approval to attend a party, where the police discover her and throw her in jail. Eventually, Anita is allowed to leave the jail and return to her aunt's house. When she hears Eli's own survival story from the war, Anita develops feelings for him, and soon she allows him to sleep with her, but only after he promises that he loves her. From this occurrence, Anita becomes pregnant. Eli refuses to allow her to carry the child, and he takes her to Prague to force her to have an abortion against her will. The doctor in Prague is kind and understanding, and gives Eli's money to Anita to help her escape. She goes to the Jewish Refugee Center, where she leaves for Palestine in the hopes of being reunited with her best friend David.The film artistically created a complex emotional story which demonstrated the various ways humans react to tragedy. Anita longed for someone to talk to about her struggles, finding it impossible to forget them and move on. Her aunt Monika demonstrated the guilt of survival when her entire family had died, resenting Anita for being another survivor and for talking to Roby about the events in Auschwitz. As Anita points out, Eli became such an unreliable romantic partner due to his experiences in the Holocaust. He fights against his emotional feelings for Anita, while simultaneously being overbearing and controlling her. Eli's difficult past made it hard to consider him the true villain of the story, even though his actions often harmed Anita. The movie balanced the difficulties in overcoming such a tragedy with the underlying hope of better days following the tragedy's end. Although we see Anita vulnerable and devastated by loss, we also believe that she can live the rest of her life at peace after the end of the film. The cinematography uses sepia tones to convey the setting of the film in the past. The scenery and the architecture displayed paint a lovely picture of the Czech Republic and the city of Prague. We are transported to a vivid Jewish culture, with upbeat, lively dances and pride which remains strong even after persecution. Overall, the film is an excellent celebration of Jewish culture that artfully combines the pain of World War II with the pride and strength of survival. It celebrates the traditions of Judaism and the hope of many more years of the religion's regrowth and prosperity.

rbyrd-230-333500 I really loved this movie. I thought it did an excellent job of capturing a time that not a lot of people focus on in cinema. It showed the complexity of emotions that plagued Jewish people in Europe after World War II: the feelings of not wanting to forget the crimes that were committed against them, but also living now in a world where they are persecuted for talking about it or expressing their outrage openly. I thought Anita and Eli's relationship was beautifully portrayed. Eli was not portrayed as a straight up bad guy, he was shown as a complex man with different motives behind his actions. The movie did a wonderful job of not really having a real villain, and depicting the different ways people cared and dealt with their individual and collective tragedies. Aunt Monica lost her brother and sister-in-law in Auschwitz and she deals with it by not talking about it, unlike Anita, who just wants to talk about it in order to cope. Anita was a beautiful symbol of hope, courage, and strength.

shughes3 I really enjoyed this film. Though I do not have much in common with Anita, I felt myself feeling extremely sorry for her throughout the entire film. I was watching an already broken and beat up person get beat down and ripped apart even more. Though she was faced with a lot of hardship, she remained strong and optimistic throughout the entire film! When times were rough, she got stronger, and at times when a normal person would have given up Anita remained in the game. Anita is a truly inspiring character whose optimism rubbed off on me even though the film was only about two hours. My only luggage from now on will be the future, like Anita.