A wonderful, more cheerful way to commemorate holocaust

Rating: 7/10 (12 August 2009)

Defiance, as its name suggests, is an inspirational, heroic story meant to convey the fighting side of an oppressed race whose mere existence was severely threatened. For the most part, Hollywood had in the past only revealed the depressing side of Holocaust with graphic killing of Jews, cramped ghetto streets, concentration camps, extreme hunger, futility of trying, despair, etc. Defiance is different from all of them for it is a story of promise, a story of hope, that not only exhibits courage and perseverance but also portrays love, ethnic bonding, and personal sacrifice for the general good. The small community the Bielskys have built in the woods reminds me of Captain John Smith, who successfully held on to the survival of Jamestown back in early 1600s. Tuvia Bielsky and Smith shared a similar philosophy: people have to work in order to be part of the community. This movie thus blends modernity with raw human instincts; it recreates a settlement scene that shows all aspects of human beings. It brings out the best of people as they share an identity and the common interest of survival; but it also brings out the worst, as greed and pride were evoked by desperation and lack of self-control.It teaches the importance of community, the inexorable wholesomeness of family, and sacrifice for the sake of others. On top of all that, it is a true family story that contains crucial pieces of history for us all to remember and celebrate-humans'ability to overcome adversity.