The Fencer (2015)
(Miekkailija)
Country: FIN/EST/GER
Technical: col/2.35:1 99m
Director: Klaus Härö
Cast: Märt Avandi, Ursula Ratasepp, Hendrik Toompere Sr.
Synopsis:
Towards the end of the Stalin era, an Estonian fencer who had once served the Wehrmacht as a draftee, withdraws from the conspicuity of Leningrad and returns to his home country to take up a post of sports teacher at a smalltown school. There, in spite of the discouraging attitude of the head teacher, his natural talents will out, and before long he is attracting attention of an unwelcome kind.
Review:
Deliberate pacing and undemonstrative performances make for a finely tuned and sustained real-life drama with sentimental trimmings. The mise-en-scène perfectly captures the harsh simplicity of life back then, the camera following the protagonist around at first with its gaze firmly fixed on the nape of his neck. Beautifully shot and with delightful child performers, this is certainly more Les choristes than Child 44, but it does tread the line respectfully and end on a (biographically sustained) high.
(Miekkailija)
Country: FIN/EST/GER
Technical: col/2.35:1 99m
Director: Klaus Härö
Cast: Märt Avandi, Ursula Ratasepp, Hendrik Toompere Sr.
Synopsis:
Towards the end of the Stalin era, an Estonian fencer who had once served the Wehrmacht as a draftee, withdraws from the conspicuity of Leningrad and returns to his home country to take up a post of sports teacher at a smalltown school. There, in spite of the discouraging attitude of the head teacher, his natural talents will out, and before long he is attracting attention of an unwelcome kind.
Review:
Deliberate pacing and undemonstrative performances make for a finely tuned and sustained real-life drama with sentimental trimmings. The mise-en-scène perfectly captures the harsh simplicity of life back then, the camera following the protagonist around at first with its gaze firmly fixed on the nape of his neck. Beautifully shot and with delightful child performers, this is certainly more Les choristes than Child 44, but it does tread the line respectfully and end on a (biographically sustained) high.
(Miekkailija)
Country: FIN/EST/GER
Technical: col/2.35:1 99m
Director: Klaus Härö
Cast: Märt Avandi, Ursula Ratasepp, Hendrik Toompere Sr.
Synopsis:
Towards the end of the Stalin era, an Estonian fencer who had once served the Wehrmacht as a draftee, withdraws from the conspicuity of Leningrad and returns to his home country to take up a post of sports teacher at a smalltown school. There, in spite of the discouraging attitude of the head teacher, his natural talents will out, and before long he is attracting attention of an unwelcome kind.
Review:
Deliberate pacing and undemonstrative performances make for a finely tuned and sustained real-life drama with sentimental trimmings. The mise-en-scène perfectly captures the harsh simplicity of life back then, the camera following the protagonist around at first with its gaze firmly fixed on the nape of his neck. Beautifully shot and with delightful child performers, this is certainly more Les choristes than Child 44, but it does tread the line respectfully and end on a (biographically sustained) high.