The Art of Self-Defense

2019 1h 44m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 874

ComedyThrillerDramaMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Casey is attacked at random on the street and enlists in a local dojo led by a charismatic and mysterious Sensei in an effort to learn how to defend himself. What he uncovers is a sinister world of fraternity, violence and hypermasculinity and a woman fighting for her place in it.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Jesse Eisenberg
Casey
Alessandro Nivola
Sensei
Imogen Poots
Anna
Steve Terada
Thomas
David Zellner
Henry
Phillip Andre Botello
Kennith
Jason Burkey
Alex
Mike Brooks
Steve

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Riley Stearns
Writers: Riley Stearns
Languages: English, French, German, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, French, German, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Riley Stearns, shot by Michael Ragen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Heather McIntosh. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sarah Beth Shapiro shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jesse Eisenberg and Alessandro Nivola and Imogen Poots carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt7339248 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Riley Stearns directs. Michael Ragen behind the camera. Heather McIntosh scores. Sarah Beth Shapiro cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French, German, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 7 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, French, German, Spanish.
4Directed by Riley Stearns, shot by Michael Ragen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Heather McIntosh. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Sarah Beth Shapiro shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jesse Eisenberg and Alessandro Nivola and Imogen Poots carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt7339248 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 23 themes, including "martial arts", "sports", "psychopath", "dark comedy".
10Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Michael Ragen
Original score: Heather McIntosh
Editing: Sarah Beth Shapiro
Production design: Charlotte Royer
Costume design: Jami Villers
Makeup / hair: Amy L. Forsythe
Sound: Demetri Evdoxiadis
Stunt coordinator: Mindy Kelly
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,800,000
Box office: $2,400,000
Return: 133% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Art of Self-Defense (2019)

Also by

Riley Stearns

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

SWITCH.2019-09-08
★ 8/10
‘The Art of Self-Defense’ is a truly funny, dark experience that will polarise audiences, hopefully leaving most of them satisfied. Just try not to think about it too much. - Ashley Teresa Read Ashley's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-the-art-of-self-defense-a-satire-as-pitch-black-as-a-karate-belt
Gimly2020-01-17
★ 5/10
I went in expecting mumblecore, but got more of a Wes Anderson (which, to be fair, a primary influence of mumblecore). Wes Anderson almost always has violence in his movies, but probably nothing so brutal as The Art of Self-Defense. I thought that the whole movie would essentially be setting up Eisenberg as an awkward, meek nerd, who at the very end would go uber-violent, and the joke that they bothered to make a movie for would essentially be "You didn't think this guy would punch very good but then he does". Happy to say, I was wrong. Not only does Eisenberg punch pretty good on actually more than one occasion, there's also a story in The Art of Self-Defense as well, which I was not expecting. Now I still didn't think it was very good, and I definitely didn't think it was very funny, but my very low expectations were exceeded, so in the end I'm actually moderately happy with this one. Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole.