Passata

Bad start to the day, an ordered book is not where it should be. This means anyone glancing into the shop will see a wild-eyed, wild-haired book seller rummaging through the shelves. If they open the door they will hear curses - or prayers, both fervent. Not at this moment of course. I had to calm down before my blood pressure caused spontaneous combustion.

I would rather be sitting peacefully inhaling the cooking smells from yesterday. A freshly made tomato passata with lots of garlic and basil. Aromatherapy for the soul.

One day off is not enough. I have lots of reading and sleeping still to do. Less pleasurable but more urgent is the gardening which luckily was impossible yesterday because of downpour.

We watched 'The Nasty Girl' with our wine and cheese biscuits in the afternoon. 'Das Schreckliche Mädchen,' directed by Michael Verhoeven. I think it has to be one of the best films I've ever seen. The fictional potrayal of Sonja (in real life Anna Rosmus) a young girl living in a small German town who wins a national essay competition which takes her to Paris and puts her in contact with other winners from other towns across Europe. This trip widens her outlook and makes her more curious about her own towns' place in the country's history. When prompted to enter a second competition she decides to write about her beloved town under the Third Reich, resisting (as she fondly imagines) the Nazi party. Her researches are baulked at every turn. At first she is puzzled then increasingly enraged by the deception and hypocrisy she is uncovering. She becomes more fiercely determined to discover the truth. The truth is very unpleasant. The town turned out the Jews and their property was confiscated, some of the beneficiaries still present amongst the respected and honoured citizens. The Catholic Church was involved in the eviction of the Jews. There were eight concentration camps in the area that people were quite aware of. Sonja's grandmother, a wonderfully rebellious old bird, is delighted all this is coming into the open and supports her granddaughter loudly in her efforts which continue over several years and are unchecked by the birth of two children. The whole family, Sonia's mother and father included, come under violent physical attack at one point.

It doesn't sound either light or amusing, but the way it was directed made it so, by focusing on Sonja, at first a warm hearted clever child, passionate, initially naive and then idealistic. Her progress is in itself entertaining and Verhoefen made many scenes into pure theatre with painted back-drops and tableaux. The revelations as they come are harsh, inevitable (there is no surprise and none sought after) but there is a sense of triumph that as a result of her indefatigable spirit the truth is uncovered.

If Verhoeven had made it 'straight' and serious it would have been merely another stick to beat the German people with and would not, IMO, have had nearly the same impact. What impressed me as much as anything was the fact that Sonja continues to see the town as her home and remained living there thoughout her struggles to have the truth known, refusing to leave even when her husband left her because he couldn't take the notoriety and pressure.

Sonja's love for and belief in her 'heimat,' the good hearts of some of the townsfolk, the realisation that what could happen in that small quite ordinary place, full of characters to be found on any High Street (!) could happen in any town in any country, in any time, made it quite frightening.

Feisty young woman though.