Bear with Me

Directed by Martin Genovski

German-born Jewish WWII survivor and former circus star Maxy Niedermeyer (80) lives in a parking lot near Amsterdam with Natasha, her last surviving bear. Raised in a circus family, she entered the arena at just 11 in the former GDR and spent six decades performing with wild animals. But as society turned against animal entertainment, her world collapsed. Today, Natasha is the only family she has left, and the only reason she still has a place to stay. A moving portrait of love, loyalty, animal ethics, and the end of an era.