Yet, they are given sideways looks from their German neighbors. They celebrate Christmas, because, as their father explains, “It is a German celebration, not a Christian one.” They do not observe Shabbat and most likely do not belong to a synagogue or believe in God. The Kempers themselves are not overtly Jewish. From this point forward, the Kempers become refugees, moving from country to country, reluctant draftees into the emerging diaspora of German Jews. With this in mind, the children are told by their mother, Dorothea (Carla Juri), to pack a single toy and two books each and be prepared to flee. The Kemper family nervously awaits results of the 1933 election, knowing that should Hitler win, Arthur (Oliver Masucci), the father, a theater critic, who is on Hitler’s enemy list, would be arrested. There’s a normalcy undergirding the whole experience, as if Nazism has already become an accepted part of their everyday lives. Later, the kids joke about how the boys weren’t wearing costumes, but dressed in their Nazi Youth uniforms. She’s rescued by her older brother Max (Marinus Hohmann), who manages to fend them off and steal a Nazi pin in the process. We meet her at a kid’s costume party, hiding under the table from a trio of boys dressed as Nazis. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is shot through the eyes of ten-year-old Anna Kemper (played to feisty perfection by newcomer Riva Krymalowski). Adapted here in the same spirit, Link’s version avoids any of the usual trappings of a Holocaust movie in favor of a straight refugee story, albeit one against the backdrop of Hitler’s rise to power and a society percolating with anti-Semitism.
Kerr wrote it to provide a child-friendly window into the workings of prejudice and fascism in Europe, without being too gratuitous or shocking. Written in English and translated to German, the book won the German Children’s Literature Award in 1974. The film is based on a children’s novel of the same name, written by Judith Kerr depicting her own childhood memories of escaping Hitler’s Germany. Link’s film reminds us that adversity need not necessarily lead to despair, but in fact, it can breed resiliency. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit arrives on the heels of a world wide pandemic that has touched all our lives, especially children. That’s important.” His words serve to stave off despair during dark times. Uncle Julius, confidant of a family of German-Jewish refugees at the center of this new film from Academy Award-winning director Caroline Link, offers this advice as they struggle with their displacement: “We have to keep believing in good.
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