The Art of Self-Defense is quintessential 2019 black comedy – funny, weird, and a little unsettling. The story follows a lonely, sad-sack accountant who lives in alternating states of being ignored and being bullied. After a particularly unpleasant and traumatic incident, he happens across a karate dojo and promptly becomes obsessed, seeing it as a chance to fulfill his desire to “become what intimidates him.”
The movie is superbly cast. Jesse Eisenberg playing a nerd is nothing new, but differs from his usual fast talking smart alec wise guy role, and is a welcome relief. It’s nice to see him do a lot more with a lot less. This is right up Imogen Poots’s alley, and Alessandro Nivola plays a bang-up villain. One of the most notable things about the film is how oddly stylized and surreal it is. The acting and dialogue is purposefully staccato and awkward. I’ve heard this movie described as an alternative take on Fight Club, but I think it’s more like if Yorgos Lanthimos made Napoleon Dynamite.
Thematically, it’s a little bluntly delivered but Riley Stearns hits pretty hard on not just toxic masculinity and misogyny, but also about hierarchical structures, classism, and the absurdity of its rules and authority, and also delves into issues like abuse of power, violence, and incel subculture. The first half of this is a sarcastic black comedy with genuinely funny laugh out loud moments (the running bit on the belts is one of the best movie comedy moments of the year), but the second half really turns dark as we start to look at the consequences. Because of that, there are many parts where you aren’t even sure if you’re supposed to be laughing or disgusted.
The ending detracted from the movie a little for me – it felt somewhat uncomfortable and empty given the current state of things in this country and the portrayal and apparent justification of violence, but overall, The Art of Self Defense is an original and excellent parody that will have the audience experiencing laughter, fear, and disgust at the absurdities of these increasingly outspoken aspects of our culture and society.
