South by Southwest's favorite THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE will be opening in select theatres across Canada beginning on Friday, July 19th. The film was written and directed by Riley Stearns (Faults) and stars Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland, The Social Network), Alessandro Nivola (Disobedience, American Hustle) and Imogen Poots (Green Room, Frank and Lola).
In Stearns' dark comedy, he wanted to use the world of martial arts to explore the issue of toxic masculinity. He explains, "I wanted to play around with the notion of what it means to be a man and what it's like to not consider yourself masculine enough."
The film will be opening in select theatres across Canada on July 19th.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY:
Riley Stearns
STARRING:
Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots
After he's attacked on the street at night by a roving motorcycle gang, timid bookkeeper Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) joins a neighbourhood karate studio to learn how to protect himself. Under the watchful eye of a charismatic instructor, Sensei (Alessandro Nivola), and hardcore brown belt Anna (Imogen Poots), Casey gains a newfound sense of confidence for the first time in his life. But when he attends Sensei's mysterious night classes, he discovers a sinister world of fraternity, brutality and hyper-masculinity, presenting a journey that places him squarely in the sights of his enigmatic new mentor. Audacious and offbeat, The Art of Self-Defense is an original dark comedy that takes toxic masculinity to absurd extremes.
Courtesy of TaroPR