The Art of Self-Defense

In this simple serio-comedy, meek and mild accountant Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) begins to question his way of life after he becomes a victim of a violent mugging. In a snap decision, he decides to buy a gun, not realising that he just can't walk out of the shop with one. Frustrated, Casey ends up joining a karate group and soon becomes aggressive to the point where he considers being nice to his dog a weakness. After winning a yellow belt at the dojo, Casey wants to wear his award everywhere. Soon, rationality abandons him. Refusing to come into the office, he cows his boss and out-machos the male co-workers who previously belittled him. The Art of Self-Defense amuses, charms and alarms us by taking an unexpectedly deep dive into the toxic pool of manly behaviour, with director Riley Stearns highlighting the absurdity of peer pressure and how it turns people against each other. It's a memorable, modern-day Fight Club, only quieter and way more twisted.