Klaus Härö’s Golden Globe-nominated The Fencer, based on the career of Estonian fencing master Endel Nelis, is a crowd-pleaser in the inspirational teacher genre. Nelis (Märt Avandi) arrives in Haapsalu, a small town on the western Estonian coast, in 1953, having fled Leningrad because of KGB suspicions that he served in the German army against the Soviets during World War II—which many Estonian men his age were forced to do by their Nazi occupiers. Nelis becomes the PE teacher in the local public school, where using his skill in the sport he starts a fencing club over the objections of the principal. It becomes wildly popular among the kids, many of whom are impoverished orphans like charming Marta (Liisa Koppel) and taciturn Jaan (Joonas Koff), who grow so proficient that they ask to participate in a competition back in Leningrad. Nelis, whose initial reserve is broken down by the students, decides to take them despite the danger to himself and the pleas of his fellow teacher Kadri (Ursula Ratasepp), who has grown sweet on him. What happens at the tournament follows a predictable Karate Kid formula, but the young actors are a likable bunch and Härö makes the familiar plot run like a well-oiled machine. Moreover, The Fencer offers compelling insight into Estonia’s unhappy history during the war and under Stalin’s rule. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
The Fencer
Music Box, 99 min., in Estonian w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.99 Volume 33, Issue 4
The Fencer
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