The Storyville documentary "Nelly and Nadine: Ravensbrück, 1944" tells the emotional story of Nelly Mousset-Vos, an opera singer and Belgian resistance fighter, who survived the horrors of the Ravensbrück and Mauthausen concentration camps. Directed by Magnus Gertten, the film takes a unique approach, using the diary of Nelly's granddaughter, Sylvie Bianchi, to piece together the details of her grandmother's life before, during and after the war. Nelly's diary is a poignant account of her survival, and it also reveals a secret love affair with Nadine Hwang, a fellow prisoner at Ravensbrück.
The film explores the struggles that the two women faced not only as prisoners in the concentration camp but also as lesbians in a society where their relationship was not accepted. Despite the hardships they faced, their love for each other survived and they remained devoted to one another. After the war, the couple relocated to Venezuela where they lived under the guise of being cousins. Nelly's diary also highlights her close friendship with Jack and Raymond, a gay couple who were part of their clandestine social circle.
The documentary interweaves footage of Hwang and other concentration camp survivors arriving in Sweden in 1945, which provides a powerful background to the events that unfold. Bianchi's emotional reactions to her grandmother's diary are portrayed, as is her conflicted feelings about her grandmother's choices, including her decision to move in with Nadine. The film also briefly touches on the question of how Nelly and Nadine found each other after the war and why they chose to relocate to Venezuela.
The timeline of the film shifts between the horrors of the concentration camps and the couple's life in South America, and while it is at times disjointed, the film provides a moving insight into the love that sustained the couple through the most challenging times of their lives. The emotional highlight of the film is a story recounted by Irene Krausz-Fainman, a former concentration camp prisoner who became close friends with Hwang. The story illustrates the deep bonds of love and friendship that existed among the prisoners, and how their memories endured long after the war was over.
Overall, "Nelly and Nadine: Ravensbrück, 1944" is a moving account of a love story that endured through the darkest of times. While the documentary could benefit from further exploration of some aspects of the story, it is a powerful and poignant reminder of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable adversity.