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‘The Art of Self-Defense’ Review: Dir. Riley Stearns [EIFF]

Following up his 2014 indie darling Faults, a charming crime caper, Riley Stearns returns to the festival circuit with The Art of Self-Defense – a complete 180 from his debut, offering a jet-black and wholly unexpected look at toxic masculinity.

When calm, collected accountant Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) falls victim to a brutal mugging leaving him hospitalised and helpless, he enlists in a local karate class to toughen himself up. Proving to have a knack for the martial art, he catches the attention of head honcho Sensei (Alessandro Nivola) and fellow fighter Anna (Imogen Poots). But, as his training progresses, so does his obsession to fight, soon Casey finds his life veering into darkness.

Stearns’ sophomore feature is a wry, idiosyncratic piece from the word go: taking a page out of Yorgos Lanthimos’ book, this is the kind of film that would feel at home alongside The Lobster or The Favourite with its deadpan dialogue and off-kilter character interactions but it’s all a part of the film’s charm – it thrives on its absurdity. By the end, The Art of Self-Defense has become so much more than initially expected and is rammed full of cults, murder and violence aplenty – getting more bonkers, insane and unexpected as every second passes. Just when you think it can’t get even more ludicrous, it somehow does. The screenplay straddles the line of black comedy and dark drama and gets the balance just right – as the former, it’s sharp and utterly hysterical; operating in the latter, it is an unsettling examination of its prevalent themes.

Whilst it’s thoroughly enjoyable on a surface level, The Art of Self-Defense shines in part for being a captivating examination of toxic masculinity. This is a film about a meek character trying to toughen up: he becomes “the idealistic man” through murder, abuse and crime – i.e. everything society has taught us is respective of ‘manliness’. The way the film looks at male relationships and this hierarchy of power is fascinating and, woven into such a bizarre story, makes for an intriguing conceit. It perhaps wouldn’t work if Stearns played it so straight but its the strangeness of the endeavour that makes it the perfect vehicle for such themes. The film is perhaps let down in its pacing and characters; they’re both a little clunky with the narrative feeling a little aimless in parts and, given they don’t exactly operate like real people, the narrative is populated by people that are lacking in much depth. That’s not to say the cast are anything but exceptional; Eisenberg’s perfectly cast as the neurotic, emotionless Casey whilst Poots offers a nice contradiction to all the chaos as the woeful, badass Anna but it’s Nivola’s grandiose and utterly ridiculous Sensei that steals the show. They’re just hard to get too attached to.

But it doesn’t seem like this is the kind of film that requires investment; the lack of visual punch and stilted dialogue feels like a tactical choice to create some distance between movie and audience. It’s essentially a satire that deconstructs at society, class, gender and so much more; the way in which Stearns goes about all this is perhaps esoteric and not exactly a conventional choice but for those that take to it, The Art of Self-Defense is as riotous an affair as it is provocative.

The Art of Self Defence review by Awais Irfan at the 2019 EIFF.

For as long as I can remember, I have had a real passion for movies and for writing. I'm a superhero fanboy at heart; 'The Dark Knight' and 'Days of Future Past' are a couple of my favourites. I'm a big sci-fi fan too - 'Star Wars' has been my inspiration from the start; 'Super 8' is another personal favourite, close to my heart... I love movies. All kinds of movies. Lots of them too.

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