Defiance

On Wednesday, December 2, I watched the movie Defiance, written, produced, and directed by Edward Zwick. The film follows the Bielski family, consisting of four Jewish brothers who save and recruit Jews in Poland during World War II. Daniel Craig plays Tuvia Bielski, the leader of the faction of Jews, who must survive the Nazi regime and cold winters in the wild. Tuvia is the hero of the group, who sacrifices his own health and well-being to protect his family and his Jewish partners. Tuvia is unselfish, generous, and courageous, and he defends the rights of the women and children against other selfish men. The group evolves from tens into hundreds of Jews as the Bielski brothers rescue and save more from persecution.
Since the movie is based on a true story, the action and the feelings felt for the characters are even more real. The movie got me thinking about how life could always be worse; I complain about studying for exams all night while these people were trying to survive disease, starvation, and religious persecution. Throughout the struggles, the Jews never lose hope with Tuvia as their leader. The film ended with Tuvia’s brother, Zus, leading a partisan force of Soviets after betraying and leaving the group. As the survivors escape into the forest, the film ends with on-screen text that states that they survived another two years, ultimately growing to 1,200 Jews. Original photographs of the real-life characters are shown, telling their ultimate fates.
The movie did a great job at portraying realistic situations of the actual events and developing sympathy for the characters. An even more touching part of the film was at the end when the text stated that the Bielskis never sought recognition for what they did, and that the descendants of the people they saved now number in the tens of thousands. Although the group they gathered and saved seemed relatively small compared to the total deaths of the Jewish persecution, the selflessness of the Bielski’s is what makes the story so touching. I recommend seeing this movie to anyone who enjoys sad, touching, history or action movies.