directed by: Riley Stearns, year: 2019
actors: Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots

After a mugging, timid accountant Davis (Jesse Eisenberg) joins a neighborhood karate dojo to reclaim his sense of power under the enigmatic Sensei (Alessandro Nivola). As he climbs ranks and internalizes the dojo's brutal codes, Davis discovers how easy it is to trade fear for control—and how dangerous the quest for discipline can become. The Art of Self-Defense is a dry, offbeat satire that interrogates toxic masculinity through deadpan humor and stylized violence.

Meta Narrative, Dark Comedy, Satire, Psychological Thriller, Martial Arts Film