Film Review - Resistance (2020)

One of the distinctive and interesting actors of his generation, Jesse Eisenberg has certainly been able to flex his muscles in complex and interesting ways in the last few years. Whatever you made of his performance as Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman (this reviewer thought he was pretty good), his recent output has been some of his most eye-catching, from his turn in domestic bliss sci-fi Vivarium or as stockbroker Vincent in the underseen The Hummingbird Project, Eisenberg is known to take a risk or two and Resistance, a WWII drama, sees him tackling an ever-greater challenge.

Eisenberg plays Marcel Marceau, a local aspiring mime artist who hopes his small newfound fame may lead him out of his native town where his father wants him to work in the family butcher. But he sees more for himself than that and would rather be performing and helping to brighten people’s day through his mime work than carving meats. Indeed, his gift for laughter and removing people, especially children, from the concerns of the growing conflicts outside which loom larger every day and puts him on the road to what became a unique career, after this lesser known period in his life.

An avuncular figure, Marceau has always been renowned for his artistry and his endearing qualities: his comion and loving nature was seen as a huge assistance in helping to save the lives of thousands of orphaned children during the war. In Resistance, we see glimpses of the amazing triumphs and impact he had but such is the somewhat harsh nature of the film’s narrative, dipping from his performances to the horrors of war, it just doesn’t work, leaving you feeling disoriented and unsure of what story the filmmakers are really trying to tell.

There are some neat flashes from director Jonathan Jakubowicz as he attempts to juggle competing narratives as best he can, but the film runs away from him more than it connects and leaves you feeling somewhat lost and undernourished. Eisenberg, too, isn’t quite on top form here despite his best efforts and like the film, shows some wonderful flourishes without ever really hitting home as he, and the film would have liked.

While its heart and soul are in the right place, Resistance feels like a missed opportunity to tell a story of some relevance, the triumph of the human spirit over the forces of evil but it fails to get going despite threatening to do so. It is worth seeking out for history and prosperity’s sake, but sadly there’s not much else to recommend this one.