Defiance

Defiance is a film set in German-occupied Belarus during World War Two and tells of the Bielski brothers who set up a camp in the middle of a forest and recruit Jews to live there. Slowly the camp builds up with survivors and before long there is a small community living in the forest, hiding from the Germans. It’s a gripping, inspirational and more importantly, informative film and makes you think that more people should know about the Bielski brothers.

The Bielski brothers, Tuvia, Zus, Asael and Aron, were Jewish Belarussians who were imvolved in rescuing Jews during the War. The film primarily focuses on Tuvia, who initially brings a couple of Jewish refugees to his camp to help them survive. Before long he had saved more than 1,200 Jews and had built a community in the forest, complete with a school, hospital and nursery, according to the film. When you think that they were continually hunted by the Nazis because of their reputation, this becomes all the more impressive. They lived in the forest for two years and when the war was over Tuvia refused any recognition and started a trucking firm with Zus which he did for thirty years. Him and his brothers never sought any sort of commendation for their actions, and I bet you most people won’t have heard of their heroic story.

Defiance is very action packed, and often involves the men of the group fighting at gunpoint against the soldiers and anyone who threatens their freedom. Daniel Craig stars as Tuvia Bielski and because of his James Bond past, does very well in this role. Most impressive is the accent he puts on throughout the film though. Anyone who has seen anything he has been in before will know that he sounds fairly British, but in Defiance he puts on a Belarussian accent, and maintains it pretty much throughout the entire film. This is by far and away the best thing about him in this role. He also does very well in the scenes which require a bit of emotion. His character is not afraid to kill when his community is threatened, but when it looks like their hope has been lost at the end of the movie, he is so believable as a man who has tried so hard and come as far as he can. This makes it all the more sweet when he is hauled to his feet once more.

Liev Schrieber stars alongside Daniel Craig as his brother, Zus. His character is much more complex and has a long standing conflict with his brother. He frequently complains that the size of their group is getting too big, and one big disagreement causes him to leave the community and join the Russian army. Schrieber was a relatively unknown actor to me before I researched this post. He does very well though, and is portrayed as being very concerned about his brothers’ well being, despite leaving them. When he is with the Russians his first thought is usually about the impact his actions will have on his brothers and the community, and the scene where they are reunited is enjoyable.

There are a number of other actors in this film that are very enjoyable to watch. The audience cannot help but engage with Shimon Haretz and his more learned friend, and the scenes where they exchange opinions on politics are some of the more entertaining ones of the film. However, despite the obvious camaraderie of the community, there is a sense that there is something hanging over them for the whole film. The director, Edward Zwick, does very well to communicate this, and there is a nearly constant threat hanging over the characters for much of the film. Jamie Bell also appears as the third Bielski, Asael, and is much more likeable than the authoritative Tuvia and the absent Zus. He comes across very strongly as a young boy who has found himself in a completely unfamiliar situation. However he rises to this situation splendidly.

A lot of the criticisms of this film focus on the implications it has for the perception of the Jews. I don’t really want to get into these because they are quite heavy going. If you are really interested then check this out: http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/movies/31defi.html?scp=2&sq=defiance&st=cse&_r=0. For me, the film has the potential to be an emotionally charged rollercoaster, which has some gritty fight scenes and a few really engaging characters. However, what it turns in to is a film which seems to focus more on the action than the actual survival, and this detracts somewhat from the overall story.

This doesn't make it a bad film however. I didn't know anything about the Bielski brothers before watching this film, and now I realise that these cases of heroism tend to go unnoticed in the public consciousness. The Bielski brothers did an inspirational and incredible thing, and they deserve more recognition for this. Defiance is not the film to provide this recognition, but it tries, and more than anything else, it makes you aware of what happened. 

The Bielski Partisans