It is a sad fact that Holocaust movies — once considered shocking for their raw portrayals of the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis — have become predictable. The mold of the Holocaust genre is tried and usually true: Nazis kill Jews, lives and families are destroyed, audiences cry. But Edward Zwick’s Defiance breaks from this formula by telling the true story of the Bielski brothers, Jewish resistance fighters for the bulk of the war. It’s rare for a filmmaker to depict Jews during the Holocaust as anything but victims; the success of films like Schindler’s List has made it difficult for audiences to envision anything other than the sheep-to-the-slaughter stereotype. But Jews, it turns out, can be tough, and the Bielskis were among the toughest.
After their parents are murdered, Bielskis flee to the forests where, along with the 1,200 Jews they rescue, they live for three years. Their band of partisans is determined to get revenge, although the brothers have different ideas about how to exact it. Zus wants to kill as many Germans as he can, while Tuvia thinks that survival is the best revenge. But none of them is gun-shy: Tuvia pulls the trigger on the man who killed his family with little remorse. Defiance does its heroes justice: the film is bereft of loud explosions and extended fight scenes, instead using violence to punctuate what is ultimately a story of survival. Though the film suffers from a weak screenplay, its power lies in its restraint. By remaining a quiet portrayal of Jews who fought against their oppressors, the film makes defiance seem like the natural state of affairs, rather than the exception. It’s about time.
Defiance Directed by: Edward Zwick Starring: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell Rated: R
