Movie review
March 27, 2020 · 120 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Resistance is a 2020 biographical drama about mime artist Marcel Marceau joining the French Resistance to help save hundreds of Jewish orphans from Nazi persecution in occupied France during World War II. He uses his performance skills to comfort traumatized children, forges documents, and leads risky escapes toward Switzerland while evading Gestapo figures like Klaus Barbie. The story stays grounded in its historical WWII premise of civilian heroism and Jewish survival against Nazi genocide, with no modern activist dialogue, identity signaling, or reframed political messaging visible to viewers.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Resistance.
Woke representation / casting
Casting aligns directly with historical figures, ethnicity, and WWII French setting; Jewish lead for Jewish hero and period-appropriate supporting roles show no audience-visible forced diversity or mismatches.
Woke political dialogue
Dialogue stays within wartime resistance, survival, and anti-Nazi conflict; zero modern activist language, identity slogans, or current political framing appears.
Identity-driven story themes
Story engine is Jewish orphans and resisters facing Nazi genocide — historically accurate and premise-driven, without modern activist overlay, representation emphasis, or identity wish-fulfillment.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Portrays Nazi regime as brutal historical tyrants in classic WWII terms; no reframing into contemporary critiques of capitalism, patriarchy, whiteness, or Western institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Adds fictional romance and dramatized Barbie confrontation criticized by Marceau family as inaccurate and not reflective of reality; these are standard biopic liberties, not ideological or woke reinterpretations.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No measurable backlash claims the film pushes woke, activist, or left-wing messaging; discussion limited to historical accuracy and execution with no “too woke,” diversity, or propaganda campaigns.
Creator track record context
Director’s background in historical and social-justice films plus Jewish heritage explains Holocaust focus; no evidence of modern activist statements or pattern applied to this title.
Production
