''Resistance'' is a 2020
biographical
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
written and directed by
Jonathan Jakubowicz
Jonathan Jakubowicz is a Venezuelan filmmaker and writer, winner of the German Film Peace Prize 2020 for his film "Resistance". His film ''Secuestro Express'' was nominated for BIFA Award for Best Foreign Independent Film, Best Foreign Language Fi ...
, inspired by the life of
Marcel Marceau
Marcel Marceau (; born Marcel Mangel; 22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) was a French mime artist and actor most famous for his stage persona, "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence", performing professionally worldwide ...
. It stars
Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Adam Eisenberg ( ; born October 5, 1983) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. Recognized for playing smart but awkward characters in both comedies and dramas, his accolades include a British Academy Film Award and nominati ...
as Marceau, with
Clémence Poésy
Clémence Guichard (born 30 October 1982), known professionally as Clémence Poésy (), is a French actress and fashion model. After starting on the stage as a child, Poésy studied drama and has been active in both film and television since 19 ...
,
Matthias Schweighöfer
Matthias Schweighöfer (; born 11 March 1981) is a German actor and filmmaker known for his work in several German and American film productions. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Franz Herber in the 2008 film ''Valkyrie''. In 2021, Sch ...
,
Alicia von Rittberg,
Félix Moati,
Géza Röhrig,
Karl Markovics,
Vica Kerekes
Éva "Vica" Kerekes (born 28 March 1981) is a Slovak actress of Hungarian ethnicity. She is active in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. She is often referred to and credited as Vica Kerekésová, Vica Kerekešová, and Kerekes Vica. Sh ...
,
Bella Ramsey
Isabella May Ramsey (born September 2003) is an English actor. They are known for their breakthrough role as young noblewoman Lyanna Mormont in the HBO fantasy television series '' Game of Thrones'' (2016–2019) and Ellie in the HBO post-ap ...
,
Ed Harris
Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in '' Apollo 13'' (1995), '' The Truman Show'' (1998), '' Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Awa ...
and
Édgar RamÃrez
Édgar Filiberto RamÃrez Arellano (, born 25 March 1977) is a Venezuelan actor.
After studying communications at the Andrés Bello Catholic University, RamÃrez worked in media and considered becoming a diplomat. When filmmaker Guillermo ...
.
It was released in the United States on March 27, 2020, by
IFC Films
Independent Film Company (formerly IFC Films) is an American film production and distribution company based in New York City, New York. It is an offshoot of IFC (U.S. TV channel), IFC, owned by AMC Networks.
It mainly distributes independent fil ...
. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, only a few independent and drive-in theaters remained open, and so ''Resistance'' topped the weekend box office in its opening weekend by earning $2,490 on one screen.
Plot
The film opens in 1938, in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
,
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
. Nazi
Brown Shirts
The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...
invade the home of a young Jewish girl, Elsbeth, and kill her parents.
In
Strasbourg
Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, 1939, a young
Marcel Marceau
Marcel Marceau (; born Marcel Mangel; 22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) was a French mime artist and actor most famous for his stage persona, "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence", performing professionally worldwide ...
works unfulfilled in his father's butcher shop. Despite growing Nazi power, he is disconnected from their atrocities, and is instead eager to pursue the arts, especially mime and painting. He performs impressions of
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
(the visual similarities between Chaplin and
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
— especially the toothbrush moustache — are a recurring motif) at his local cabaret, much to his father’s disapproval. He admires a local girl, Emma, and hopes to marry her.
Marcel's cousin, Georges, involves himself with a Jewish arm of the
French Resistance
The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
. Georges and Emma bring a
Scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
troop of 123 Jewish orphans to Strasbourg, where they take up residence in a local castle. Initially terrified and withdrawn, the children soon adapt to their new situation, aided by the comic talents of Marceau. His bond with Emma deepens, and they fall in love.
After
Germany's invasion of Poland in autumn 1939, Marcel and Emma become more heavily involved with the Resistance. The Jewish children are distributed in smaller groups within the community to minimise their visibility; some are sent to local churches, and others to Jewish families. Marcel and Emma maintain contact with Elsbeth.
After 1941, Marceau's story intertwines with the menacing
Klaus Barbie
Nikolaus Barbie (25 October 1913 – 25 September 1991) was a German officer of the ''Schutzstaffel'' and ''Sicherheitsdienst'' who worked in Vichy France during World War II. He became known as the "Butcher of Lyon" for having personally tortu ...
, who arrives in
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
in 1942 during the Nazi occupation of southern France. His aim is to eliminate the Resistance, a mission that he conducts ruthlessly by bribing collaborators and conducting brutal executions in an empty swimming pool at
Gestapo
The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
Headquarters. Later, Barbie gains notoriety as "The Butcher of Lyon".
Marcel and Emma also move to Lyon to continue their work with the Resistance, along with Marcel’s brother Alain, and Emma’s sister Mila. Alain narrowly evades capture during a Nazi sweep of Lyon's train station, and Marcel helps him escape by burning a German soldier. Emma and Mila are less fortunate. Captured during a subsequent Gestapo roundup, Barbie tortures Mila to death while extracting information from Emma about the Resistance. Emma survives by collaboration, but later attempts
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.
Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
. Marceau saves her, and they resolve to help Jewish children escape to Switzerland.
Pretending their Scout troop is on a hiking trip, Marcel, Emma, and Alain escort a dozen children, including Elsbeth, to the
French Alps
The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...
by
SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...
train. Barbie and his
SS troops patrol the last station before the
Franco-Swiss border, forcing the petrified Emma into hiding as they search the train. Despite his intense questioning of Marcel, who poses as a collaborator, Barbie fails both to discover Emma and the group’s true ambition to reach Switzerland. Relieved, Marcel, Emma, and the children continue their journey towards the border.
Meanwhile, Barbie's SS learn from a tortured priest that the children are indeed escaping Jews. Barbie, angry at his mistake, mobilises SS troops to pursue the group into the icy forests of the Swiss border. Barbie gets close enough to discharge his handgun, mortally wounding Emma, but cannot prevent their escape. Marcel is devastated at Emma's death, but he and the children reach Switzerland.
The film closes in 1945 at
Nuremberg
Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
, Germany. Marceau is now a
Liaison Officer with the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
, continuing his work as an actor and entertaining troops of the
American occupation of Germany. Introduced by General
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton Jr. (11 November 1885 – 21 December 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Alli ...
, troops learn that Marceau crossed the Alps many times to save hundreds of children, mostly orphans, and indirectly saved thousands more children. The film closes with an evocative mime by Marceau in his famous white face and blue and white shirt.
Cast
Production
In May 2017, it was announced that
Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Adam Eisenberg ( ; born October 5, 1983) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. Recognized for playing smart but awkward characters in both comedies and dramas, his accolades include a British Academy Film Award and nominati ...
had joined the cast of the film, portraying the role of
Marcel Marceau
Marcel Marceau (; born Marcel Mangel; 22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) was a French mime artist and actor most famous for his stage persona, "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence", performing professionally worldwide ...
, during his days as a member of the
French Resistance
The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
, with
Jonathan Jakubowicz
Jonathan Jakubowicz is a Venezuelan filmmaker and writer, winner of the German Film Peace Prize 2020 for his film "Resistance". His film ''Secuestro Express'' was nominated for BIFA Award for Best Foreign Independent Film, Best Foreign Language Fi ...
directing from a screenplay he wrote. In February 2018, it was announced
Haley Bennett and
Matthias Schweighöfer
Matthias Schweighöfer (; born 11 March 1981) is a German actor and filmmaker known for his work in several German and American film productions. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Franz Herber in the 2008 film ''Valkyrie''. In 2021, Sch ...
had joined the cast of the film, with
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film studio and distribution arm of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros., both of which are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex ...
distributing in Germany. In November 2018,
Ed Harris
Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in '' Apollo 13'' (1995), '' The Truman Show'' (1998), '' Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Awa ...
,
Edgar Ramirez,
Clémence Poésy
Clémence Guichard (born 30 October 1982), known professionally as Clémence Poésy (), is a French actress and fashion model. After starting on the stage as a child, Poésy studied drama and has been active in both film and television since 19 ...
,
Bella Ramsey
Isabella May Ramsey (born September 2003) is an English actor. They are known for their breakthrough role as young noblewoman Lyanna Mormont in the HBO fantasy television series '' Game of Thrones'' (2016–2019) and Ellie in the HBO post-ap ...
,
Géza Röhrig,
Karl Markovics and
Félix Moati joined the cast of the film, with Poésy replacing Bennett.
An important part of Jesse Eisenberg's preparation for the role of Marcel Marceau was learning mime. He trained for several months with
mime artist
A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek language, Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a the ...
, movement coach, and mime coach
Lorin Eric Salm, who had studied with Marceau at his
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
school and is a historian of Marceau's work.
Salm also choreographed the mime scenes for the film, creating original mime pieces based on Marceau's technique and style.
Release
Rocket Science handled international distribution rights. In November 2019,
IFC Films
Independent Film Company (formerly IFC Films) is an American film production and distribution company based in New York City, New York. It is an offshoot of IFC (U.S. TV channel), IFC, owned by AMC Networks.
It mainly distributes independent fil ...
acquired distribution rights to the film. It was released on March 27, 2020. The film was set to have a theatrical release, however due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
IFC released the film on
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...
instead. It was tied for the highest-grossing film in America when it debuted in the week of April 17, 2020, grossing $2,490.
Critical reception
On review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 56% based on 94 reviews, with an average of 5.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Flawed yet honorable, ''Resistance'' pushes past uneven performances and execution to pay sincere tribute to its real-life protagonist." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
John DeFore of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' gave the film a positive review, calling it an "involving if imperfect look at humanism amidst atrocity." Peter Travers of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' also gave the film a positive review, writing: "Playing the iconic mime Marcel Marceau in his early days as a French Resistance fighter for Jewish children, Eisenberg acts with physical finesse and deep feeling, proving that the power of art can literally be a saving grace." Michael Nordine of
TheWrap
''TheWrap'' is an American online news organization that covers the business of entertainment and media. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles. The site features original reporting, analysis, and editor ...
praised Eisenberg's performance writing: "His best work comes at the mime's first real public performance, where he dons the white makeup and silently mimes his way through the war itself: Without a single word, he articulates the film's point more movingly than any monologue ever could."
David Ehrlich of ''
IndieWire'' gave the film a negative review writing: "''Resistance'' can't stop finding new reasons to ignore its protagonist, or flatten him into anonymity, Eisenberg's performance is the giddy standout of a bizarre and half-baked Holocaust thriller that's otherwise absent any sense of self". Jeannette Catsoulis of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' also gave the film a negative review, saying that "''Resistance'' feels disjointed and dated."
References
Further reading
* Eisenberg, Jesse, and Lorin Eric Salm (June 2020)
"From Silent Stage to Silver Screen: Bringing Marcel Marceau’s Mime to Resistance" ''Movement Coach and Mime Coach Lorin Eric Salm.'' Retrieved February 4, 2021.
External links
*
*
*{{Metacritic film
2020 films
English-language German films
2020 biographical drama films
American biographical drama films
British biographical drama films
German biographical drama films
Biographical films about actors
Cultural depictions of actors
Films shot in Prague
Films about Nazi Germany
Films about the French Resistance
American World War II films
British World War II films
World War II films based on actual events
IFC Films films
Warner Bros. films
2020s English-language films
2020s American films
2020s British films
English-language biographical drama films