Le Résistance TV Review
#ReviewsA short review on the TV series Le Résistance.
Just last night, together with my friend, I binge watched the first couple episodes of Le Résistance, a French TV series based on the German occupation in France during WWII. The show was very heavy, sad, and educational. I've read the occasional WWII book such as Malka, Milkweed, Hiroshima, and Night. However, I have never really consumed any media about the war from a perspective of a person who wasn't trying to escape or from America, Germany, or Japan.
War films are extremely sad and disheartening because they dipict the cruelties that we as humans put onto others for what seem to be such preventable reasons. But as sad as these films or books get, it's even more sad to thing that what we saw is likely only a fragment of the pain and suffering that the victims experienced.
Le Résistance is very unique. Perhaps others would say there are better films out there and that there are better shows that are more realistic etc, but for me Le Résistance is something I have never seen before. The show, while fast paced is engaging. So much occurs within the first episode and even more during the second.
As a person who is terrible with names, and even worse with foreign names, I only really know the name of our protagonist, Lili. But even if I can't remember their names, it is still extremely sad to see the cast get picked off one by one. Every character has their own story and the show tries its best to give snippets of the emotions and reasonings that the characters have for their actions.
But as the series is only 6 episodes it can feel extremely fast paced with more and more occuring in every episode. From the children to the adults, Le Résistance does a really good job in diving into the stories of the those who directly touch lives with Lili.
As a war movie it shows death, the food rations, the discrimination, the coldness, and the desparation that the characters must have felt. But it also shows the hope, the love, the passion, and the patriotism of this group that formed Le Résistance. Every member, while they loved their family and friends, were willing to risk everything for the cause. But what was heart breaking to me was how they were all willing to put themselves at risk yet they cared so deeply for their family and loved ones.
Even if they were likely in more danger, every character wanted to make certain that their loved ones were safe more than they cared about the risks to themselves. There have likely been many shows that show this willingness to sacrifice, the bonds that people share, the heartbreak that those left behind feel, but it's always just so sad to see. And it's even sadder to think that it's not just limited to this small group of resistors. Everyone suffers during war and everyone loses, no matter who the victor is.
In a way I thought this series was extremely abrupt, extremely fast paced, and at times completely unbelievable. But in a way that makes complete sense why a show about war would be like this. I thought this show did really well in engaging the audience and while the story telling was really quick and almost all over the place, I was still able to mostly follow along. Resistance is a show that I think more people should watch. Although it didn't show the cruelties of the frontlines and the deaths that the soldiers see, it still shed light on the emotions and experiences that many must have shared as well as the struggles that civilians went through for a better future that they may not have been able to live to.