Just finished watching an endearing series on Netflix called "Anne - with an E". It was recommended by a dear friend and what a delight it turned out to be! It is set in late 19th Century Canada on the remote Prince Edward Island. However, the messages and the characters can just as easily be transported to modern day suburbia without losing any of their relevance or resonance.
The series, based on the book, " Anne of Green Gables" by Lucy Maud Montgomery, traces the life of Anne-Shirley-Cuthbert, an awkward, red-headed orphan adopted by the Cuthberts of Avonlea. The Cuthberts are not a couple but rather a brother and sister duo who live a quite life on a farm, and send to the orphanage at Nova Scotia for a boy to help with the chores. Instead they receive a skanky, chatty and imaginative young girl who could not be any further from their idea of a child. Their shock at who Anne is, and the eventual acceptance of her, sets the tone for the most important message of the series. If we keep our minds open and love in our hearts, joy WILL follow. If we stick to stereotypes and the arbitrary rules of society, it will keep us from realizing the full potential in ourselves and in those around us.
Issues of race, gender, sexual orientation and cultural discrimination, are woven expertly into a tale that keeps the viewer engaged at all times with its many twists and turns. But at no point does it sermonize or become overly simplistic. The characters succeed and fail, struggle and grow, because such obstacles cannot be overcome in a day or by one heroic figure in one fell swoop. Much like the landscape of Avonlea, there is breathtaking beauty in Anne's life. This beauty comes from her adoptive family, the Cuthberts, her friend Diana Barry and the dashing Gilbert Blythe. However, this life is not without its hardships that resemble the cold and and seemingly unconquerable landscape of the winter months. It takes the spring of Anne's imagination and passion to break frozen ground and bring forth possibilities for those being held down. There is the lone black resident Bash, the widowed, trouser-wearing, progressive teacher from the city, Ms. Stacy, also Diana, the brilliant daughter of a rich family, forbidden to better her mind, and finally Anne herself, an orphan with no family and means. Eventually all of them find a place in the town of Avonlea when love and courage replace bias and bigotry.
With its stunning cinematography, enchanting music and timeless characters I would say "Anne with an E" is a beautiful series, a beautiful experience and a beautiful message.
