THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE Trailer
A man’s spiral into paranoia is mined for comedy in The Art of Self-Defense, the latest from writer/director Riley Stearns. This isn’t the most obvious setup for a gut-busting good time, but the premise hints at a dark sort of humor, one that draws from many of our common fears.
The paranoia starts after Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) is attacked in the street, and in an effort to assuage his anxiety, he signs up for karate lessons. Karate isn’t therapy, though, so while Casey learns some defensive maneuvers, it doesn’t address his growing fear of “other men”. Such fear of random attacks, of constantly feeling vulnerable, is something that’s become more common as discord and violence inundates our news feeds. That all is easily surmised from the trailer; how they’ll turn that into comedy isn’t as clear.
Stearns is a relatively inexperienced filmmaker for such a tonal tightrope, having just one previous feature to his name, 2015’s Faults. And yet, that film seems to be a similarly pitched dramedy, so perhaps this is just the natural progression of his strengths.
The presence of a seasoned pro like Eisenberg should help steady the project, as will co-stars Alessandro Nivola and Imogen Poots. With strong reviews from its showings at SXSW, this might be one of those little summer movies that could.
The Art of Self-Defense is directed by Riley Stearns and stars Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, and Imogen Poots. It will be released in the US on July 12th, 2019. Further release dates are not currently known.
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