Defiance

Last night Earl and I watched Defiance with Daniel Craig, Liev Schrieber and a host of other phenomenal actors. Now, Earl and I L-O-V-E true stories, especially when they are in important historical times. The director is Edward Zwick who also directed The Last Samurai and Blood Diamond. It was a great film as a whole - fantastic script, acting, cinematography. Here is a brief synopsis as provided by the Christian Science Monitor:

Based on a 1993 book by historian Nechama Tec, it focuses on three brothers, the Bielskis – Tuvia (Daniel Craig), a thief and smuggler who has been in hiding since 1941 when the Nazis wiped out the community where his family farmed; Zus (Liev Schreiber), a troublemaker even more violence prone than Tuvia; and Asael (Jamie Bell), who, compared with his siblings, is like a babe-in-the-Belarus woods.

Those woods are both the battlefront and the haven for what gradually, under Tuvia's command, becomes a self-sustaining ragtag detachment of Jewish civilians whom he must eventually lead to safety. The intellectuals in this community are looked down upon by the Bielskis because they lack survivalist skills – it's a neat reversal of the usual emphasis in Jewish-themed dramas on the primacy of the scholar.

Eventually, after a violent fight between Tuvia and Zus that, like much in "Defiance," is almost biblical in its implications, Zus breaks away from the encampment and sides with Soviet partisans aligned with the Red Army. Ultimately, 50 Jews died, 1,200 were saved – by other Jews.

There were moments that were so painful and difficult in the choices they had to make. We wondered each step of the way if they were "becoming monsters in order to fight monsters." We saw them struggle with the concept of their humanity and how to live with dignity and protect life in this forest world they created. It truly is a remarkable story.

The Bielski brothers survived their time in the forest and never sought any recognition for their actions during WWII. One of the last scenes tells us how many people grew from the 1,200 Jews they saved during the war - tens of thousands have come. I think what an incredible legacy. What an amazing testimony. A rabbi says to Tuvia Bielski (who lead the group as the commander) that he believed God had sent Tuvia to save them, to which Tuvia responded, "Ridiculous," and then the rabbi said, "I know, but just in case, I thank Him and I thank you."