El viaje de Fanny

I just watched this movie at the East Bay Jewish Film Festival in Pleasant Hill. It is a WWII movie that takes place in France in 1943 in what at that time was a part of France that was controlled by Italy, and when Mussolini, gets overthrown, sets in motion these events.

This movie kept me on the edge of my seat, as you watch a reluctant Fanny, aged about 13 finding herself in charge of a bunch of little Jewish kids being forced to flee from France to Switzerland as the Nazis take over in this area of France from Italy. Like all little kids, they all want their mommies and daddies and don't quite understand what is happening to them. This movie is based on a true story and was quite exciting.

In 1943 Vichy France, Fanny and her younger sisters are left by their parents in the care of a humanitarian organization along with other Jewish children. They are smuggled into fascist Italy where it's hoped that they won't be hunted. When Mussolini is overthrown, the Germans take over and the kids have to make a run for Switzerland. After they lose their adult guides, Fanny must lead the kids on the harrowing journey.

The start is a little slow. The tension of the situation isn't getting transmitted. All that is forgotten when they get to the train station. Quite frankly, the movie can start without introducing the kids. Mme Forman can be the protagonist at the beginning and the switch to Fanny could be a great shock. As for the journey, the crowded train station is scarier than anything in a horror jump scare. It's all in the little girl's face. The weight of the world is on her and she shows it. I would change a little bit of the final run for the border. It's nothing big that would take away from this harrowing journey.

The French film Le voyage de Fanny was shown in the U.S. with the translated title Fanny's Journey (2016). It was written and directed by Lola Doillon, and is based on a true story.

Fanny's journey is a Holocaust film, and depicts a daring escape attempt as eight children, led by 13-year-old Fanny, try to leave France and reach Switzerland. (A fact not stated in the IMDb material, but told to us during the introduction, is that actually Fanny led 23 children as they tried to escape. Director Doillon wisely decided to lower the number so that we could get to know some of the children as individuals.)

A movie like this will rise or fall based on the lead character. Léonie Souchaud, who portrays Fanny, is a superb actor. I'm not sure of her actual age, but she's clearly a young adolescent. How she obtained the acting skills required for the role is a question to which she or director Doillon know the answer. Clearly, she possesses those skills.

We saw the movie at the excellent Little Theatre as part of the outstanding Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. The RIJFF gets better every year. If you live in Upstate New York, plan to attend the festival. (It's a little late for 2017, because the RIJFF ends on July 17th. However, some films will be re-shown during the year, and there's 2018 to look forward to.)

This movie has a barely acceptable IMDb rating of 6.9. It should have a higher rating than that. It will work better on the large screen than on the small screen, but it's worth seeking out and watching wherever you can find it.

P.S. The RIJFF labeled the film as "Family Friendly. Suitable for ages 10 and up." It's not. In my opinion, no one under age 13 should see it, and even that's a stretch.

A delightful if fraught tale of bravery beyond belief. The acting and direction is superb. The kids are amazing.

A harrowing story that one can only marvel at. Fortitude at such a young age is truly inspirational.

Well worth the watch among today's silly little movies.

Heartfelt, heartwarming story of a group of Jewish children escaping the Nazi scourge in WW2. The performance at the child actors is faultless. The story keeps the viewer on the edge of one's seat, heart in mouth as the brave little souls overcome overwhelming odds, chased at every point by Wehrmacht soldiers and heartless French collaborator police determined to send these innocents to the hell of the Nazi extermination machine. Inspirational.