Waiting for Anya

Released Feb 7, 2020

1h 49m

History

Drama

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43%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

58%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

A boy and a reclusive widow work together to smuggle Jewish children into Spain during World War II.

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Diana M

It is 1942 WWII and the Germans have taken control of Northern France. A Jewish man, Benjamin takes his daughter, Anya, to a train station leaving France. But they are seen and he desperately manages to get her onto a bus. He stays behind, barely escaping the Nazis. "We always said if we ever got separated, we would meet at grandma's house" - Benjamin Now in 1943, Nazis arrive in a small mountain village in Southern France were Benjamin is hiding at his mother-in-laws (Horcada), waiting on Anya. "I'm staying until Anya comes" - Benjamin But when a young shepherd boy, Jo, discovers that Horcada is not only hiding Benjamin, but many Jewish children, he decides to help them hide and smuggle the children across the border into Spain. "Some people collect coins, stamps, we collect enemies of the Reich, children. Jewish children" - Horcada Now the entire village is at risk under the rule and punishment of the third Reich... And they must decide whether to surrender to evil or come together to save these children, even if it puts their lives at risk. "To those with secrets, rest assured we will come to your door" - Lt Weissmann Wow! What a wonderful movie and based on a true story. This story is more about courage and compassion (without being preachy) beautifully shot and brilliant acting by the entire cast. Cast - Anjelica Huston, Noah Schnapp, Jean Reno, Frederick Schmidt, Thomas Kretschmann

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/05/23

Full Review

bill g

A very interesting film, well acted and something people should remember, or learn more of what happened by the Nazis in world war 2. Also realize, that almost every soldier was complicit in what happened to theJewish people. This shows that none interfered, even though they were friendly to the villagers

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Overall, this film is quite dramatic, touching and at times, suspenseful. It feels more like a TV mini-series based on the on-screen quality of visuals and soundtrack rather than a huge blockbuster film. Performances are fine; Noah Schnapp and Anjelica Huston deliver the strongest presence out of the entire cast. The film is quite slow during its first and second acts, leading to a more powerful finale.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/11/23

Full Review

john g

A warm hearted movie of perseverance!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Terrible. How can a good cast deliver such terrible acting, even more terrible French accents? What should have been a good movie delivered with all the finesse of a bad school play.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Steve S

Interesting story of a boy growing up in a small Pyrenees mountains village during WW2/Holocaust, accidentally stumbling across a Jew. His life changes from this day forward. Solid performances by screen veterans such as Anjelica Huston, Jean Reno, Thomas Kretschmann and new comer Noah Schnapp in the lead role. Well written story, flows without awkward transitions and solid character development.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/02/21

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Ben Cookson

Director

Noah Schnapp

Jo

Thomas Kretschmann

Korporal

Frederick Schmidt

Benjamin

Tómas Lemarquis

Leutnant

Elsa Zylberstein

Maman

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Waiting for Anya: Trailer 1

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David Stratton

The Australian

Waiting for Anya is a rather bland affair. Given the dangers faced by Jo and Benjamin, there's little in the way of suspense and the uninitiated would hardly appreciate [it]...

Oct 15, 2021

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

Budget limitations, tonal inconsistencies and several creaky supporting performances are just some of the elements that scupper this worthy if ultimately inept Michael Morpurgo adaptation.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 24, 2020

Full Review

Cath Clarke

Guardian

The film is gorgeous to look at, all alpine meadow flowers and glorious green mountains. But the drama loses momentum pretty early on.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 20, 2020

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Some are sure to see the film as too sanitized and not harsh enough in its depictions. But Cookson tells a very specific story that doesn’t need to visually emphasize the horrors.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 21, 2022

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

If broken up into six episodes for TV or streaming, it would be the sort of historical children's drama that used to be commonplace.

Rated: 6/10

Oct 16, 2021

Full Review

Jim Schembri

jimschembri.com

Unfortunately, the performance from Noah Schnapp isn't very good. Even more unfortunately, neither are most of the other lead turns, including those from the great Jean Reno and Anjelica Huston, who is also great, just not here.

Rated: 1/5

Oct 15, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

A boy and a reclusive widow work together to smuggle Jewish children into Spain during World War II.

Director: Ben Cookson
Producer: Julian Hicks, Geoff Iles, Phil McKenzie
Screenwriter: Ben Cookson
Distributor: Vertical Entertainment
Production Co: Goldfinch Studios, Bad Penny Productions
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 7, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 7, 2020
Runtime: 1h 49m

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