By taking fragments of Etty Hillesum’s diary and correspondence to the stage, Nadia Larbiouene invites us on an intimate journey into the troubled life of this young woman. Etty Hillesum lives in Amsterdam. She is 27 years old when she starts writing her newspaper. This young Jewish woman, cultured, free, sensitive and believing, freely exposes what she lives, her loves, her thoughts, her choices. Despite the external tensions in these years 1941-1943, she continues to believe in God and humanity. Deported to Auschwitz, she died on November 23, 1943, at the age of 29.
Based on Etty Hillesum’s diary and Westerbork’s Letters, two actresses relay this historical testimony on this dark period of humanity. Writing here is a matter of survival: Etty writes to exorcise, tell and reassure. Never letting herself down, her diary is for her an almost sacred mission, to continue living and especially not to forget.