The Fencer (Mart Avanti, Lembit Ulfsak, Ursula Ratasepp) – Klaus Haro is Finland’s most heralded director with four of the five movies he has made selected to represent his country in the Best Foreign Film competition in the Oscars. This includes his most recent work, The Fencer. a true story set in Estonia in the early 1950s.
Estonia, occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II and by the Soviet Union afterwards, was a dreary place. A young teacher, Endel (Mart Avanti), arrives in a small town to live his quiet life teaching physical education and starting a sports club. He first decides to teach the kids skiing. But when his skis are expropriated by a local Russian military unit, he switches to fencing, the sport he loves most and the one in which he was quite accomplished. Endel isn’t a very outgoing man and he seems to have little interest in the kids. But little Marta’s (Liisa Koppel) interest draws him in. By the time the kids assemble, there are 30 of them, and the lessons begin.
The rest of the film is about the kids’ education; Endel’s budding relationship with another teacher, Kadri (Ursula Ratasepp); and the revelation of Endel’s secret, which explains why he no longer fences and has relocated to this remote town. The film moves from a character study to The Karate Kid in the third act, which makes for a satisfying ending even as we wonder if Ender’s secret will be revealed.
Haro’s period piece is beautifully shot in the dreary Estonia countryside on a small budget but it feels much bigger. Haro, whose films often focus on children, appeared at the San Diego Cinema Society this week and introduced his film, explaining that the reality is that it will only get U.S. distribution if it makes the finals of the Oscars competition.
My friend Scott Galenbeck will be proud of me for seeing a foreign, sub-titled film (my second in a month), but he may only get to see this if it becomes available on video someday. Put it on your future viewing list.