Review of Resistance (2020) by Kenr — 11 Jun 2021

Resistance – Against Tyranny.

This important and vital story gets a mixed but expected treatment for a modern production - telling about the horrors of the WW11 years, and what far too many tragic souls had to endure. I always enjoyed the performances of Marcel Marceau but it came as a surprise that he played such an important role in saving orphans’ lives (at great risk to his own) It tells the amazing story of his dangerous involvement within a Jewish arm of the French Resistance (with eternal shame to certain collaborating French bureaucrats and civilians) Some have criticized the lead performance but it is quite nicely nuanced and convincing throughout - I think some folk may be looking through biased eyes or simply had never seen any of this amazing man’s performances. Perhaps others just have little imagination (and most very likely never lived through this shocking era) The beginning and end of this film features his first public performance (he became a liaison officer with the US army and entertained the liberating troops).

Direction is reliable - keeping the suspense rolling. Perhaps the fact the director also produced, wrote, and took a major hand in the editing may have at times, taken a slight toll on certain details within some situations. Stories along these lines (and produced in the PC era) cannot easily avoid a level of familiarity - they tell what they have to tell and in this case, it needs to be told and retold. At least this telling is better by far, than certain trendy filmmakers we have seen, who often sensationalize these themes - turning them into little more than simplistic hate/revenge stories. Resistance is visually strong with an effective score and it’s a pity the Pandemic kept it off many cinema screens, as it certainly deserves to be seen.