Miekkailija (2015)

Fleeing from the Russian secret police, a young Estonian fencer is forced to return to his homeland, where he becomes a physical education teacher at a local school. The past however catches up and puts him in front of a difficult choice.

Director:

Klaus Härö

Writer:

Anna Heinämaa

Stars:

Märt Avandi, Ursula Ratasepp, Hendrik Toompere Sr.

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Märt Avandi	...	Endel Nelis
Ursula Ratasepp	...	Kadri
Hendrik Toompere Sr.	...	Principal (as Hendrik Toompere)
Liisa Koppel	...	Marta
Joonas Koff	...	Jaan
Egert Kadastu	...	Toomas
Ann-Lisett Rebane	...	Lea
Elbe Reiter	...	Tiiu
Jaak Prints	...	Principal's assistant
Kirill Käro	...	Aleksei
Lembit Ulfsak	...	Jaan's grandfather
Leida Rammo	...	Boarding house's hostess
Raimo Pass	...	Officer
Erkki Tikkan	...	Officer
Maria Avdjushko	...	Clerk in Leningrad

Storyline

Fleeing from the Russian secret police because of his controversial past, a young Estonian fencer named Endel is forced to return to his homeland, where he begins to train a group of young children in the art of fencing. The past however catches up with him and Endel has to choose between letting his students down or putting his life in danger. The movie is partially based on the real life story of an Estonian fencer Endel Nelis (1925-1993).

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Plot Keywords:

estonia | soviet union | 1950s | post war | fencing instructor | 

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Taglines:

Based on extraordinary true events.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Sport

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site

Country:

Finland Estonia Germany

Language:

Estonian Russian Armenian

Release Date:

21 July 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

El esgrimista

Filming Locations:

Haapsalu, Estonia

Box Office

Budget:

€1,605,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,572, 23 July 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$95,543, 11 January 2018

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,458, 20 August 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Making Movies Oy, Allfilm, Kick Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Finnish candidate for the best foreign language film in 2016 Academy Awards.

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Goofs

Children who participated in the fencing classes were actually older, the youngest were about 13 or 14 years old, not 5 or 6 as shown in the movie.

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Connections

Featured in 73rd Golden Globe Awards (2016)

User Reviews

Good film with fine cast

"The Fencer" is a typical sports and underdog film: which make you root for the underdog. It's slightly different from many others in that there is some history for solid context: however, that also has been done so far, and the director does not experiment much with the pace of the film. Some of the landscapes are beautiful, and in my opinion they afforded the director to be much slower and absorbed in the atmosphere, like the German film "Barbara" did, but that does not happen. However, the film is a lovely watch and touches your heart because of the fine cast: a special mention should be made here for the boy (Joonas Koff) playing Jaan, who has given the most impressive performance of the film.