Between the holidays, movie theaters are taking a break from big studio pictures with only limited releases this weekend on only serious subject matter.

Defiance is a World War II film starring Daniel Craig, (Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale) Liev Schreiber (The Sum of All Fears, The Omen), Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) and George Mackay (BBC’s Johnny and the Bomb) as four Jewish brothers from Poland who escape from the Nazis and fight to rescue other Jews. The film is directed by Edward Zwick (The Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai) and is an adaptation of Nechama Tec’s book, Defiance: The Bielski Partisans, which is based on the true story of the Bielskis. They were the largest group of Jewish fighters during WWII who fought against Nazi Germany in Belarus. It opens with limited released on December 31st, and a wider release on January 9, 2009.

Good is the story of John Halder played by Viggo Mortnenson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Hidalgo), a German literary professor in the 1930s who is enlisted in the Nazi party, which leads to many dilemmas that have serious consequences. Also starring in the film are Jason Isaacs (Brotherhood) and Mark Strong (Body of Lies, RocknRolla). It is based on a stage play by twentieth-century playwright C.P. Taylor. Good opens with a limited release on December 31st.

Let Them Chirp Awhile is an independent drama that follows two young males, Scott and Bobby, in their twenties who are struggling to develop careers as artists, but their competitiveness gets in the way. Bobby is screenwriter and Scott is a musician, but neither are productive because they have low self esteem. The film was directed by Jonathan Blitstein and was filmed in 18 days in New York. It received positive press when it debuted at the 2007 Woodstock Film Festival. The film opens in L.A. on January 2, 2009.

Cargo 200 is a controversial Russian film directed by Aleksei Balabanov about the political turmoil in Russia during the dissolution of the Communist government. Cargo 200 is a name used by the Soviets for the dead Russian soldiers who were shipped from the 1979-1989 war in Afghanistan. The story centers on the daughter of a Communist Party official who disappears with a young man after attending a party. The couple decides to go for a drive, ending up at a farmhouse on the outskirts of town in search of more alcohol from the resident moonshiners. That same evening, a man’s car breaks down and he ends up at the same farmhouse, and the plot thickens. The dramatic thriller opens on January 2, 2009 in N.Y.

—Jessica Delli Santi