SLIFF 2016 Review – THE FENCER

THE FENCER screens Sunday, Nov. 6 at 6:30pm at The Plaza Frontenac Theater as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. Ticekt information can be found HERE

Endel is on the run as his past affiliations begin catching up to him. Eluding the secret police in Leningrad, Endel finds himself in hapless Haapsalu, Estonia. It is the early 1950s and, in the wake of World War II, Estonia squirms in the iron fist of Stalin’s Soviet empire, with many of the fathers lost to the war or shipped off to prison camps. Endel finds a job running the sports club at a secondary school, where he shares his expertise in fencing with eager young students. But Endel is undermined at every turn by his weasel of a principal, a communist functionary who is suspicious of the instructor’s past and deems fencing non-proletarian. Endel must ultimately choose between guiding his team or running for his life. Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and featuring a wonderful lead performance by Estonian actor Märt Avandi, “The Fencer” is a touching drama about a coach who gives children something to believe in. The film is based in part on the real life of expert fencer Endel Nelis.

Review of THE FENCER by Cate Marquis

Based partly on a true story, the Golden Globe nominated THE FENCER centers on a young man, an expert fencer, who flees Moscow in the early 1950s to hide out in a small town in his native Estonia, taking a job as a physical education teacher at the school. Estonia had been buffeted in World War II and its aftermath, going from occupation by Nazi Germany to occupation by the communist Soviet Union. Under Stalin, the communists are hunting young men who had been drafted by the Nazis to fight in the German army, regardless of whether those men served willingly or not.

Director Klaus Haro’s well-made,well-acted historic drama is a fictional tale based on the real life Endel Nelis, a legendary Estonian fencer. The film builds a tense and moving drama out of a story about a man who must chose between his own safety and his obligation to his young students. While generally in the inspiring teacher mode, the film also deftly explores moral questions and details of Estonian history in the time period, and features some fine photography and a strong performance by Estonia star Mart Avandi.

Arriving in a tiny Estonian town to take a position as a physical education teacher, Endel Nelis (Mart Avandi) intends to keep a low profile. An expert swordsman, the last thing Endel wants to do is teach fencing. The school is run by a principal (Hendrik Toompere Sr.) who is a strict enforcer of Communist Party rules and keeps a sharp lookout for suspicious behavior. The principal is harsh on this new teacher from Moscow from the start, whome he regards with suspicion, and reminding him that his job also includes setting up an after-school sports club. Eager to avoid scrutiny, Endel tries starting a skiing club but is thwarted by disappearing equipment. When a young student, a pig-tailed little girl named Marta (Liisa Koppel) catches a glimpse of her teacher practicing with his foil in the gym after school, she begs him to teach her fencing. With no other options for a sports club, Endel decides to take a chance and posts a notice about a new fencing club, expecting only Marta to show up for the meeting. The teacher is astonished to find a room full of kids who want to learn to fence. Endel now faces the dilemma of deflecting the scrutiny of his principal, who views fencing as “feudal” and inappropriate for proletariat children, and his eager students and their supportive parents.

The film uses Endel’s situation to build taut tension and explores issues of self-preservation and obligation to others. Using make-shift equipment and homemade swords, the students eagerly follow their teacher’s demanding instruction, with one of them, a boy named Jaan (Lembit Ulfsak), showing real promise. Jaan’s enthusiasm for fencing is linked to his beloved grandfather, who had been a fencer himself and gives Jaan his old foil to use.

Endel is certainly in a dangerous situation but his students are in a tough spot as well. Many are traumatized by the loss of fathers, brothers and grandfathers to the Soviet Union crackdown, who have been arrested and never heard from again, presumably send to Siberian prisons. Life in the town is grim and the children have little to inspire them. At the same time, fear of discovery drives Endel, who is intensely aware of the gaze of the communist principal. Endel does find some comfort in a friendship with another young teacher (Ursula Ratasepp), who helps him in sorting out what he should do.

The film is lifted from an ordinary inspirational teacher drama by the real-life aspect, as well as the film’s exploration of  Estonian’s war and post-war experience. Director Haro avoids the overly sentimental and keeps the tension high throughout. The story focuses on the historical oppression and the human story of people caught in it, framed by appealing photography and fine acting. Avandi delivers an affecting performance in the lead role, well-supported by the rest of the cast, particularly the appealing child actors. While the Soviets villains are a bit heavy handed and the ending seems a little unrealistic, the strengths of the film overcome those minor shortcomings.

finds some ,  and are traumatized While in the inspirational teacher movie framework, this sincere and moving drama explores In the vein of an insNelis, the Golden Globe nominated THE FENCER, tells the story of Endel Neli young man who flees early 1950s Moscow to hide out in a small town in Estonia. Estonia had been under German control and was now under Soviet Union control. With Joseph Stalin still in power, the Soviet Union is tracking down everyone who had been drafted into the German army, whether German or from occupied countries like Estonia, which is Nelis’ “crime.” An expert fencer, Nelis intends to keep a low-profile teaching physical education at the village school, and the last thing he wants to do is teach fencing. But the principal ( ), a committed Communist, reminds the new teacher that his job also requires him to organize an after-school sports club. After plan for a ski club falls apart, a little girl named Marta catches a glimpse of her teacher practicing with his fencing foil, and begs him to teach her. With little choice, Nelis posts a notice on the school bulletin board and is shocked when a bunch of students show up, not just Marta. The principal regards fencing with suspicion, saying it is not an appropriate sport for proletarian children but the villagers seem to want the club.

THE FENCER features a fine performance by Estonian actor Mart Avandi, in a story that touches on the country’s history occupation by the Germans and Russians, as well as themes of courage, family and commitment to see something through. Many of the children have lost fathers, either to the war or to the Soviet Union’s arrests. and also provide