''Resistance'' is a 2011 Welsh film directed by Amit Gupta and starring

Andrea Riseborough Andrea Louise Riseborough (born 20 November 1981) is an English actress and producer. She made her film debut with a small part in ''Venus'' (2006), and has since appeared in more prominent roles in '' Happy-Go-Lucky'' (2008), '' Never Let Me Go ...

Tom Wlaschiha Thomas Wlaschiha (born 20 June 1973) is a German actor. Internationally, he is known for his roles as Jaqen H'ghar in the second, fifth and sixth seasons of the TV series ''Game of Thrones'', as well as Sebastian Berger in the TV series '' Cros ...

and Michael Sheen. It is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Owen Sheers. The film takes place in an alternative reality in which Germany invades the United Kingdom during World War II.

Plot

After all the women in a remote valley on the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

border awaken to find their husbands have left to serve in the covert British Resistance, German occupiers arrive in the alternative reality thriller set in 1944 in which

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

has failed and the United Kingdom has been invaded successfully by Germany. Facing a harsh winter, the women and soldiers find they must co-operate to survive, but each distrusts the others. The women want to remain loyal to their absent husbands, the soldiers are at war and the women are their enemy. Over time, the soldiers stop wearing their uniforms. The Germans help with farm chores or may leave a couple of shot rabbits on a porch. The Germans think the war may be over soon and want to take advantage of spending the winter away from war. Captain Albrecht becomes close to Sarah. To prove he can be trusted, he takes her to a cave where a priceless Medieval world map has been hidden from the Germans. He studied mediaeval history and even he does not want the SS or Himmler to get it. Another much more elderly wife named Maggie has become friends with Bernhardt. Spring has arrived and Sarah convinces Albrecht to let Maggie take her prized cob horse to the county fair, and Bernhardt accompanies her. The women wanted to know if there was any news of their husbands. A friend of Maggie tells her that the group of men that blew up the railway bridge had all been hanged by the Nazis. Maggie returns to the valley with a third-place win but very changed with the knowledge that the husbands are dead. Young teen George sees Maggie's fair trip as collaboration with the enemy and shoots her horse in punishment. The loss of both her husband and her horse is enough to kill Maggie. Soldier Steiner distrusts the valley women and he runs off to town with the Army radio. Albrecht is in love with Sarah and asks her to escape off with him before the Gestapo come. She agrees but actually goes home and writes her date of death in the family Bible. She then makes sure to burn the priceless map to keep it from the Germans. Always loyal to her husband and country, she walks off into the mountains to escape, and the film ends.

Cast

as Sarah Lewis *

as Captain Albrecht Wolfram * Michael Sheen as Tommy Atkins * Kimberley Nixon as Bethan Evans * Alexander Dreymon as Steiner * Iwan Rheon as George Bowen * Simon Armstrong as George's father *

Stanislav Ianevski Stanislav Ianevski (; born Stanislav Rumenov Yanevski, bg, Станислав Руменов Яневски; on 16 May 1985), is a Bulgarian actor best known for playing Viktor Krum in the 2005 fantasy film '' Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' ...

as Bernhardt * Sharon Morgan as Maggie Jones * Melanie Walters as Helen Roberts *

Anatole Taubman Anatole Taubman (born 23 December 1970) is a Swiss actor. He is best known for his performance as Elvis in ''Quantum of Solace ''Quantum of Solace'' is a 2008 spy film and the twenty-second in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' se ...

as Sebald *

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as German soldier * Mossie Smith as Ruth Evans * George Taylor as Gernot * Jassa Ahluwalia as Russian Partisan (voice) * Nia Gwynne as Sian Griffiths * Tomos Eames as Tom Lewis * Kerry Hutchinson as Gestapo officer * Callan Mcauliffe as Terrence Green * Marie Ingle as Terrence Green's girlfriend

External links

* *{{rotten-tomatoes, resistance_2011 *
Film Agency For Wales
' English-language Welsh films English-language German films Films based on British novels Films set in Wales Films shot in Wales Films set in 1944 British alternative history films Films about World War II alternate histories British World War II films German World War II films 2010s English-language films 2010s British films 2010s German films