Defiance

Defiance is about the power of the human soul to find the best in itself and survive despite the odds, despite, indeed, what would seem to be common sense. Despite the crushing strength of the ever-encroaching Nazis, the civilian traitors who sell out their neighbors, the lack of resources of any kind, the relentless cold--and despite the infighting and the spiritually disfiguring hunger--a group of Polish Jews who have fled Nazi persecution manage to come together in the Belorussian forest, form a community, and even to thrive.

They do so under the leadership of Tuvia Bielski (Daniel Craig), one of four brothers whose parents the Nazis killed. Tuvia has sought and found revenge, discovered the taste of blood to be bitter, and determined that the greatest act of defiance is to survive, to insist on life at every turn and to the last breath.

The burden of leadership shows in Tuvia's face even as it strengthens his resolve. He must deal with infighting, the greed that only dire hunger can breed, and the cantankerousness of people who tire of living like wild creatures. His strength of character provides the leadership this group $needs. They find within themselves the will to survive, to defy the odds and to survive.

In the end, they do. This movie based on a true story is a portrait of human nature under the worst of circumstances. The community loses faith but finds it again thanks to the quality of leadership of a man who refuses to accept that the worst in human nature is not the sum of human nature. That it can get better. That survival is a beautiful thing.