Resistance (2020)

Resistance is special because it finds an unexpected weapon against fascism: art itself, turned into a lifeline. Jesse Eisenberg plays Marcel Marceau not as a legend-in-waiting, but as a young man discovering that a silent performance can steady terrified children and outmaneuver men with guns, and the film’s sincerity makes that idea land with real force. Jonathan Jakubowicz keeps the tension tight—raids, forged papers, close calls—while still making room for human warmth and the stubborn decency that war movies sometimes forget. It’s grim and intense enough to earn its R rating, so it’s not for viewers seeking a gentle WWII drama, but if you want a stirring, suspenseful true-inspired story about courage expressed in the quietest possible way, this one stays with you.

Resistance clearly wants to honor Marcel Marceau’s real-life bravery and show how art can be a weapon against terror, and that intention is admirable. The problem is it often tells this extraordinary story in the most ordinary way, leaning on familiar WWII-biopic beats with choppy pacing and a tone that wobbles between earnest inspiration and thriller dramatics. Jesse Eisenberg is committed and a few mime moments genuinely land, but the characters can feel thin and the movie rarely finds a distinctive voice to match its subject. If you’re looking for a sharp, cohesive historical drama, this may frustrate you; if you’re satisfied with a well-meaning, middle-of-the-road wartime rescue tale, you’ll get enough to stay engaged.