Defiance

Defiance, directed by Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond - which is also an excellent movie), is the story of the Bielski brothers and the community that they organized.

Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber), Asael (Jamie Bell), and Aron (George MacKay) Bielski escape being killed or rounded up by running into the forest. Aron quickly finds more fellow Jews who have managed to escape to the forest. Tuvia (the oldest brother) decides that they would have to try to make the best life they could in the forest, and that they would turn no one away from their village. Zus (the second oldest) decided to join the Soviet partisan group that was in the area, and he left the original Bielski camp.

The film mainly follows the Bielski partisans in their struggle to survive. The population grew as the partisans smuggled hundreds of Jews out of a nearby ghetto. As the population grew, so did the complexity of the group's organization. Everyone was forced to give up their possessions for the benefit of the community and everyone was expected to use their skills to benefit the good of the community. It was a struggle to survive, but the forest community was the only place that Jews could be free. It was the only place where they could keep their humanity. A scene that I found especially poignant was during Asael's wedding. As the happy couple was dancing and the whole community was celebrating and being 'normal' we see Zus setting up a bomb on a Nazi supply line. While the community was successful in maintaining their humanity, they were never very far from the war.

The movie ends with a bit of a battle scene and the final relocation of the community.

The true facts listed at the end of the movie tell us that the Bielski partisans lived in the forest for over two years. 1 200 people survived until they were able to leave the forest (most of them being women, children, and elderly). In the last place that the partisans settled in the forest, they were able to build a hospital, school, and nursery. Tuvia and Zus both ended up in the United States where they started a business together.

Defiance is a wonderful (based on true story) movie that depicts a little known story that deserves to be known by more people. It is a story about survival, about humanity, about brothers, and about community.

Defiance gets three kernels - a quality movie that is definitely worth seeing.