In 1950s Estonia a champion fencer on the run from the KGB finds meaning by teaching war traumatised children. A touching drama with universal appeal. Golden Globe Nominee.
A young man, Endel Nelis, arrives in Estonia in the early 1950s. Having left Leningrad to escape the secret police, he finds work as a teacher and founds a sports club for his students. Endel becomes a father figure to his students and starts teaching them his great passion – fencing, which causes a conflict with the school’s principal. Envious, the principal starts investigating Endel’s background.
Endel learns to love the children and looks after them; most are orphans as a result of the Russian occupation. Fencing becomes a form of self-expression for the children and Endel becomes a role model. The children want to participate in a national fencing tournament in Leningrad, and Endel must make a choice: risk everything to take the children to Leningrad or put his safety first and disappoint them.
“An Estonian fencer gets heroic treatment in this well-crafted sports biopic.” – Irish Times
“Touché! Swordplay drama is directed with vim.” – The Guardian
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Finland, Estonia, Germany, 2015 | Language: Finnish | 99 minutes | Cert: CLUB
Director: Klaus Haro
Cast: Mart Avandi, Ursula Ratasepp, Hendrik Toompere, Lembit Ulfsak
