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Sitges 2023: Black Metal Kung Fu in ‘The Invisible Fight’ from Estonia
by Alex Billington October 17, 2023
Bring on Estonian kung fu!! There’s a badass little film playing on the film festival circuit this fall called The Invisible Fight, the sixth feature directed by Estonian filmmaker Rainer Sarnet. After first premiering at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, it has also played at Fantastic Fest, in Helsinki, and the Sitges Film Festival in Spain – where I was lucky enough to catch up with it. And yep – The Invisible Fight rocks! A kooky martial arts flick meets Estonian comedy set in the Soviet-era past, where a guy decides to go against the communist system and learn kung fu – just because it’s cool. Even if this loses steam in the second half, this film is mega enjoyable because it’s so boldly original. Where else can you learn about the temptations of black metal kung fu, taught by Orthodox monks with long beards, who insist on the importance of humility over dexterity. There’s a morality tale in here, obviously, but above all it’s a damn good time at the cinema.
Set in the 1970s when Estonia was still a part of USSR, the film isn’t really about Estonia, per se, more about what things were like back in those times under the weight of communism. Private Rafael (Ursel Tilk) is on duty when his guard post is attacked by Chinese kung fu warriors. He is the only one to survive their attack, and subsequently becomes fascinated by the martial arts practiced by these fighters. Years later, he enters a monastery to train to be an expert kung fu monk. But he quickly learns it’s not easy to master this fighting technique, as he doesn’t really fit into the rigid Orthodox Christianity regimen. Their convent is filled with badass monks who are mostly silent and obedient, observing as he makes a fool of himself. The headmaster takes him in, offering him a chance to learn, though what Rafael needs to work on the most is his humility. He also gets into a feud with another young monk who wants to run the place. It’s all corny yet still amusing.
It’s not so much about the fights as it is all the clever humor. This film has more than a handful of jokes I’ve never heard before, clearly inspired by the filmmaker’s own life growing up in the 70s in Estonia. It’s a love-letter to the glory of old school kung fu, which is enjoyable to watch, alas it doesn’t feature any particularly memorable fights. There’s a few good moments where we see Rafael and others pulling off sweet moves and flying through the air on wires, but the big showdowns are over pretty quickly. They rock to Black Sabbath most of the film, and it deserves praise for being so creative. It’s a specific vision of a unique & funny film that Sarnet really does pull off crafting – both visually and narratively. The monastery’s head staret is my favorite character, played by Indrek Sammul, another great wise man teacher joining the ranks of cinema. Watching him get involved in fights are some of the best parts in this. It’s a compliment to say it’s the kind of genre gem we used to discover on VHS then laugh forever at while munching on pizza. Have fun with it.
Alex’s Sitges 2023 Rating: 7.5 out of 10Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing
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