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Jesse Eisenberg, known for his roles in films by acclaimed directors like Noah Baumbach, David Fincher, and Kelly Reichardt, has mastered the art of portraying characters with layered emotional depth. His distinctive awkwardness often masks a spectrum of emotions ranging from confidence to fear. This unpredictability makes his performance in the 2019 film “The Art of Self-Defense” particularly striking.
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Now available for free on Tubi, “The Art of Self-Defense,” directed by Riley Stearns, is an overlooked gem of dark comedy. It chronicles the peculiar journey of Casey, a meek accountant played by Eisenberg. While curious about the world beyond his front door, Casey prefers the comfort of his home, accompanied only by his beloved dachshund. His life takes a turn after a random mugging by a motorcycle gang, leading him to withdraw further into solitude. However, his discovery of a local karate dojo, led by the enigmatic Sensei, played by Alessandro Nivola, piques his interest.
Initially presenting itself as a deadpan take on the “Karate Kid” trope, a film Looper described as one of 2019’s most bewildering, “The Art of Self-Defense” evolves into a darker narrative. As Casey delves deeper into the dojo’s secrets, the film reveals a world rife with hidden agendas. Despite receiving critical acclaim at its South by Southwest debut, the film remains relatively underappreciated.
For those curious about a martial arts comedy tinged with the dark humor reminiscent of Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Art of Self-Defense” delivers. Under the guidance of writer-director Riley Stearns, who later directed “Dual,” the film creates a universe that, while surreal, resonates with an undeniable emotional truth. Characters express themselves with a candidness that unveils their true selves, regardless of societal taboos. On the surface, the film explores an outsider’s fixation on karate, but Stearns ingeniously crafts a biting satire on the pervasiveness of toxic masculinity.
Like Casey’s growing confidence within the dojo, the film initially lulls viewers into a false sense of security with Sensei’s teachings. Our empathy for Casey makes us lower our defenses, believing he’s found a sense of belonging. However, Stearns directs “The Art of Self-Defense” with a tension that suggests it could shift into a horror film at any moment. The narrative reaches a critical point when Casey is invited to participate in “Fight Club”-like night classes, where the underlying aggression in Sensei’s philosophy becomes glaringly apparent. The toxic masculinity soon seeps into Casey’s daily life, influencing everything from his music choices to interactions with colleagues.
The Art of Self-Defense hilariously skewers toxic masculinity
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If you’ve ever wondered what a martial arts comedy infused with the darkly funny tenor of a Yorgos Lanthimos film would look and sound like, “The Art of Self-Defense” is your answer. Writer-director Riley Stearns — who later made “Dual” — crafts a fascinating world that, while detached from the nature of reality, still conjures an emotional honesty that can’t be shaken. Characters often speak their minds in ways that reveal their true nature no matter how taboo it may seem to others. “The Art of Self-Defense,” on its surface, is about an outsider grappling with his addictive tether to karate, yet Stearns brilliantly peels back the layers to reveal a dark satire on how toxic masculinity spreads.
Much like Casey’s confidence in the dojo, the film lulls the audience into a sense of security in regard to Sensei’s initial teachings. The kinship we develop with Casey prompts us to let our guard down because he’s found a place where he feels he belongs. But Stearns shoots “The Art of Self-Defense” like it could become a horror movie at any moment. This comes to a head with Casey being invited to join the “Fight Club”-inspired night classes where the simmering violence behind Sensei’s principles boil to the surface in unexpected ways. Soon the masculine micro aggressions bleed over into Casey’s everyday life, from his music choices to his pet routines to even how he speaks to his co-workers.
It’s funny because Stearns hilariously skewers the innate absurdity of masculine falsehoods that so many have been conditioned to believe outright. Alessandro Nivola is a pitch-perfect antagonist who unwittingly reveals a labyrinth of insecurities within his own flawed dogma.
The Art of Self-Defense features one of Jesse Eisenberg’s best performances
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It’s hard to imagine “The Art of Self-Defense” nailing its biting critiques of toxic masculinity without Jesse Eisenberg. While plenty of films have utilized his seemingly insecure disposition, Riley Stearns takes full advantage of how someone like Casey could be sculpted into something else in return for feeling like he belongs.Â
Casey is so enamored by the “honor” of receiving his yellow belt that he not only buys yellow-packaged foods at the grocery store en masse, he also commissions his very own casual yellow belt to wear outside of the dojo. Casey displays them to Sensei as a source of pride, and Eisenberg really sells the hell out of it. It’s truly one of his most underrated performances.
The deeper “The Art of Self-Defense” gets into its world, its absurdist comedy becomes more twisted and mean, especially with Sensei’s assistant Anna (Imogen Poots). Being the only woman at the dojo, she’s tasked with teaching the children’s class because of her “maternal nature,” as Sensei so delicately puts it. Casey’s the only person who recognizes Anna’s talents, creating a conflict between his loyalty to Sensei and his kindness. “The Art of Self-Defense” is an antidote to the rise of the manoverse culture because it hilariously deconstructs how a patriarchal system prides itself on following the rules — that is, until those rules conflict with its ideology.