Le Maître d'Escrime

"The Fencer" is a typical sports and underdog film: which make you root for the underdog. It's slightly different from many others in that there is some history for solid context: however, that also has been done so far, and the director does not experiment much with the pace of the film. Some of the landscapes are beautiful, and in my opinion they afforded the director to be much slower and absorbed in the atmosphere, like the German film "Barbara" did, but that does not happen. However, the film is a lovely watch and touches your heart because of the fine cast: a special mention should be made here for the boy (Joonas Koff) playing Jaan, who has given the most impressive performance of the film.

I came across this gem by accident. A friend gave me several movies and I only just found this one 8 months later. I found this movie extremely touching. The pace was slow but I found that this accentuated the underlying emotions and I was captivated from start to finish. I have certainly seen other movies with this basic plot but this movie stood out because the performances were deep and poignant. I like many Hollywood movies but this was noticeably different: At once simpler -- with less "action" and less dialogue and less "spelling everything out" and maybe at the same time more complex because of what was portrayed in a look or a silence. Glad I watched this.

a true story. this is , in too many cases, the most attractive detail. in the case of "The Fencer", the things are little more complicated. because it is, like many Estonian films, first a testimony. about politic pressure, about refuge, about passion and fundamental change. it is not easy to define it only as impressive/motivational/lovely film. because, using a well known recipes, it is a film about conscience. about self definition, honesty and duty. and, maybe, this is the great virtue of the director. to say what must be said. the story of Endel is the story of many "sinners" against Soviet rules. and this fact did it a beautiful eulogy of freedom. for me, this detail did it an admirable work.

The 'inspiring teacher' film has many variations but its core narrative is always the same: a teacher helping children realise their dreams. The Fencer (2015) is an uplifting story told with sensitivity towards the harsh landscapes of Estonia and a nation that has experienced more terror than Hitchcock could imagine. At its heart is a morality play of historical proportions and a lone teacher's commitment to do what is best for children.

Elite fencer and coach Endel Nelis (Mårt Avandi) escapes Leningrad in the early 1950s to avoid Stalin's secret police. At 18 he was drafted by the Nazis and after the Soviet invasion all men who ever wore the Nazi uniform were sent to Siberia. He hopes for obscurity as a sports teacher in a small Estonian village but the secret police have eyes everywhere. Endel lives in fear and so does the village where most of the menfolk have been taken away in darkness never to be seen again. Amidst this paranoia, he starts a class in the traditional discipline of fencing but his initiative is resented by authorities who investigate his past. Meanwhile he finds romance and the children progress so quickly they are soon pleading to compete in Leningrad. Endel knows if he takes them he may never return.

The filming of this story is its major strength. The camera is in the middle of the fencing classes watching the children develop in an artform based on balletic grace, speed, and knowing precisely when and where to strike. The children's growing sense of control contrasts with the lack of control they have over their lives under Stalinist rule. As Endel becomes a father figure he also becomes another person to lose. Although urged by his former coach to flee again he becomes emotionally invested in the children and his blossoming romance. Several close-up scenes of Endel relating to the children and his girlfriend are poetic portraits of hope struggling against the tyranny of the times.

The story has a dual climax and both are heart-warming and inspirational. The village children bravely compete against big city schools, and the fencing matches themselves are exciting spectacles of cut and thrust. Endel's own survival plays out with all the hallmarks of an espionage thriller and he must live with the consequences of his moral choice. Understated acting performances, minimalist dialogue translations and a balance of political tension and youthful hope help steer the film away from the most obvious clichés of the inspiring teacher genre. This is a well-crafted and touching tale about heroism without fanfare that lives on through Endel's fencing school still operating today.

A good film about seldom-seen topic. Living was difficult and sometimes dangerous under the Soviet rule in Estonia straight after WW II and Klaus Härö's film tells story about that. It has been built around true story about a teacher which teaches his pupils to fence.

Problem on this film was that I knew too much about the story before seeing it. So it didn't give many surprises.

Not much to complain about directing, acting or anything else. Maybe the story needed something more to be more interesting but the film depends on true story so it could have been wrong to make up something.

Best thing about this film is that there is used both languages Estonian and Russian. So the characters use the right languages. It is of course subtitled.