Defiance 2.3

Totally defied any and all expectations. You know, WWII movies are all generally the same: killing the 'bad' guys and adorable men covered in dirt. So going in, I was more excited about seeing the Billy Elliott kid than anything else (fell in love with him with his first plie).

But this movie, totally blew me out of the water. As a self-proclaimed WWII nut, I figured I'd seen it all since I tend to read any and all things I can get my hands on. This story depicting how hundreds of Jews ran from the Germans and then built a 'community' in the woods is crazy. The story lasts throughout the first year of the war and it is too good for words. You never hear about the Russian armies hiding out in the woods from the Germans. Or about the Jewish people who built camps, deserted them and rebuilt somewhere else. This movie brings it to light.

The tale centers around 4 brothers who come together after Germans ransack their village. You see the struggles of sibling rivalry and how it drives them apart only to drive them back together. You see how Jews continued on with their lives during their time in the woods. It's crazy to think this make-shift refugee camp accomodated so many people for so long.

The fact this story has gone 'untold' for so many years is crazy. I find myself wanting to know more about the Eastern Europe countries during the War. We've had movies showing us about the US' efforts in the front, films from inside the camps and ones behind the enemies' lines. But this is the first, to my knowledge, of one depicting life for those who were fortunate enough to run away and survive a winter out in the wilderness.

I fear this film will get pushed under the rug with all of the other WWII movies that opened in the past few months (The Reader, Valkyrie, Boy in the Striped Pajamas) but it shouldn't. The acting is okay, but the storyline is truly inspiring. It made me want to run away with the Bielski brothers and join their fighting front.