Melissa Villy 
Join the Dutch Resistance with Miep and Jan Gies as they fight against the Nazi occupation of their homeland with courage and strength. Melissa reviews A SMALL LIGHT on Disney Plus
Opening with Miep attempting to smuggle Margot Frank across a checkpoint, A SMALL LIGHT tells the story of Miep Geis. A young woman who agreed to hide the Frank family. Miep Gies was Otto Frank’s Secretary at his company, Opetka, and immediately agreed to hide the family when Otto mentions fearing they will have to go into hiding. Throughout the War, Miep deals with the struggles that come with hiding first seven, then eight, people from the Nazis. From how to feed them without ration cards, hiding what she’s doing from friends and family to the fear that they will get caught. Miep and the other three office workers do what they can to hide the existence of their “friends” from clients, neighbors, and even other employees.
THE RESISTANCE
Meanwhile, Miep’s husband, Jan, refuses to be the only one to do something. Jan works with the Resistance, using his job as a social worker to assist them in their activities. He risks his life on several occasions to smuggle children and babies to safety. And he helps in one of their most daring attacks against the Nazis. Together, the duo helps smuggle their Jewish landlady and her grandchildren to safety. All the while hiding a young Dutchman refusing to join the Nazi Party in their home and survive one of the worst winters of the occupation by eating Tulip bulbs for dinner.
NO HERO
Usually, stories involving the Frank Family focus on adapting Anne’s diary and telling the story of what was going on in the Annex. This time, we get to hear the untold story of Miep and learn just what it took to hide eight people for twenty-five months in the attic of the building. While Miep always maintained that she was not a hero for what she did, she was most definitely a hero. Miep’s actions were at great risk to herself. And they took courage and strength. Her story deserves to be told, and after nearly 70 years we finally get to see it.
There are many other heroic stories of the Dutch Resistance, some of which are only recently coming to light. I’d love to see National Geographic adapt another such story, like that of Corrie ten Boom or Janny Brandes-Brilleslijper, who was one of the last to see Anne and Margot alive and briefly appears here. It’s time to shine a light on more of these heroes.
VERDICT
A Small Light has eight episodes and covers the years 1942-1945. And it boasts flashbacks going back to the pre-war years and Meip’s childhood. The title is taken from a quote of Miep’s regarding her actions during the war. I highly recommend this mini-series.
A Small Light is streaming exclusively on Disney Plus now. Subscribe to our newsletter at the top of our homepage to stay up-to-date with all the latest reviews from FUTURE OF THE FORCE.
I’m Mina, the Jedi Librarian. I’m a Program Specialist Librarian, lover of all the books, and a lifelong Star Wars fan. I’m also secretly a Jedi.
