DEFIANCE is a different kind of World War
II movie, one that looks at the Holocaust from a unique angle--telling the true
story of a group of Jews in Eastern Europe who
fought back. On the run from the Germans and the local police, the three
Russian Bielski brothers--Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber), and Asael
(Jamie Bell)--hide out deep in the forest. Their numbers swell as more and more
refugees join them, coming together to form a community while also patrolling
with guns and shooting the enemy to stay alive. But Tuvia and Zus have a
falling-out over what future direction to take: Tuvia thinks it best to remain
in the forest despite the coming vicious winter, but Zus wants to join the
Russian resistance, which is aggressively attacking the Nazis. Complicating the
situation are the women in their lives, known as forest wives--Lilka (Alexa
Davalos) shows interest in Tuvia, Bella (Iben Hjelje) grows close to Zus, and
young Chaya (Mia Wasikowska) and Asael flirt with the tingles of first love. As
food grows scarce, diseases increase, and the Nazis become determined to find
and kill them, the Bielski Otriad struggles to survive, battling back when
necessary, including taking up arms.
Directed by Edward Zwick (GLORY, BLOOD DIAMOND) and based on the nonfiction
book by Dr. Nechama Tec, DEFIANCE
is a powerful thriller filled with tense human emotion, a gripping story about
brotherly love and the basic human instinct to survive against all odds. Craig
(LAYER CAKE, CASINO ROYALE), Schreiber (EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED), and Bell (BILLY ELLIOTT) are
terrific as the Bielski brothers, three very different individuals who simply
refuse to just lie down and die.
From the Back Cover
Based on an extraordinary true story, DEFIANCE
is an epic tale of family, honour, vengeance and salvation.
The year is 1941 and the Jews of Eastern Europe are being massacred by the
thousands. Managing to escape certain death, three brothers take refuge in the
dense surrounding woods they have known since childhood. There they begin their
desperate battle against the Nazis. Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell
star as brothers who turn a primitive struggle to survive into something far
more consequential – a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving
thousands of others.
Acclaimed director Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond and The Last Samurai) brings to
life this epic, edge-of-your-seat drama.