FANNY’S JOURNEY – St. Louis Jewish Film Festival Review

Sunday, June 4, at 7 PM, Plaza Frontenac Cinema

Belgium; in French and German with English subtitles; 94 minutes

FANNY’S JOURNEY is a compelling true-story-inspired historical drama about a 13-year-old girl who leads a group of 11 children to safety as they flee the advancing Nazis in World War II France. Directed by Loila Doillon, it is a suspenseful tale based on the true story of Fanny Ben-Ami. This handsome, well-made and well-acted drama id one of this year’s St. Louis Jewish Film Festival’s best.

After the arrest of their father in German-occupied Paris, Fanny (Léonie Souchaud) and her younger sisters Erika (Fantine Harduin) and Georgette (Juliane Lepoureau) are sent by their mother to a children’s boarding school in rural southeast France. The younger girls, particularly clingy Erika, stay close to their older sister but Fanny is clearly very much still a child herself, with a penchant for climbing trees but a bit of a strong-willed streak. The school is in an area under the control of the Vichy French government rather than the Nazis, and for a while it seems they will avoid Nazi attention there. But when the headmistress gets word that the Nazis are extending their occupation, she sends the Jewish children to various safe havens in an Italian-occupied part of France. Fanny and her sisters are sent to stay with Madame Forman (Cecile de France), a stern woman who is very different from the kindly headmistress. But Fanny soon discovers Madame Forman has the resources and skills needed to help the children escape to Switzerland. As the Nazis close in, Fanny unexpectedly finds herself in charge of her sisters and nine other children on a harrowing journey to Switzerland.

Director Loila Doillon shows a firm grasp on clear storytelling and strong hand in directing this affecting drama, her third film. FANNY’S JOURNEY is told through the eyes of the children, in a convincing, involving way. When Madame Forman puts the children on the train and tells Fanny she is in charge, the girl is frightened but Forman encourages her. Despite her youth and doubts, Fanny adapts to the changing situation along the way. Fanny is not portrayed like some little adult, she is still a child. She sometimes makes the kind of choices a child would make but at other times, shows remarkable strength and judgment. The children grow close on this journey, which takes many unexpected twists. The director inserts a dose of realism by showing moments when the children play, not just relentless tense drama, which gives the story a human, heart-tugging appeal.

The film tries to stay true to the essence of the real Fanny’s experience, although the real Fanny led 28 children rather than the nine in addition to her sisters. However, the Madame Forman character is a composite.

Cecile de France is excellent as the flinty, surprising Forman, but the real standout is newcomer Leonie Souchaud as Fanny. The scenes with her younger sisters, played by Fantine Harduin and Juliane Lepoureau, are sweet, warm and convincing. Fanny’s combination of childishness, stubbornness and determination are inspiring as well as fully believable. All the children are wonderful in their roles, with the adults they encounter seen only through their childish eyes.

The film ends with a shot of the real Fanny, who lives in Israel, and an epilogue to her story. FANNY’S JOURNEY is a polished, inspiring true story drama well worth seeing, as a remarkable example of the bravery and resourcefulness of children.