The Fencer

Fleeing from the Soviet secret police, Estonian fencer Endel Nelis returns to his homeland and finds work as a children's sports instructor. Despite the objections of school administrators, Nelis begins teaching the students competitive fencing techniques and fencing soon becomes a form of self-expression for them. Endel quickly becomes a role model and father figure to the children, many of whom have been orphaned as a result of the Russian occupation. When the children are invited to a fencing tournament in Leningrad, Nelis must make a choice: put his safety first or risk everything to take the children to the competition. Directed by acclaimed Finnish filmmaker Klaus Härö, THE FENCER is a touching drama about trust, love and finding one’s purpose.