Rainer Sarnet's Heavy Metal Kung Fu Comedy The Invisible Fight opens February 23rd. The latest film from Sarnet, the Estonian director of November, will start its theatrical run at the Alamo Drafthouse Lower Manhattan, with expansion to follow.
USSR-China border, 1973: Young soldier Rafael is on guard duty when the border falls under attack from flying Chinese kung fu warriors, leaving him as the sole survivor. Utterly fascinated by the long-haired martial artists who easily dispatched his fellow guards, all while blasting forbidden Black Sabbath music from their portable radio, Rafael is struck by a revelation: he too wants to become a kung fu warrior. Looking for mentorship but with limited options, faith leads Rafael to seek martial arts teachers at the most unlikely of places: the local Eastern Orthodox monastery, where the black-clad monks begin his training. With a skeptical mother, a rival monk, and a budding love interest pulling him in different directions, Rafael finds that his journey to unlock the greatest martial art of all – the almighty power of humility – is long, winding, and full of kick-ass adventures.
A new trailer and poster have just been released today. Find the trailer below.
Our own Martin caught The Invisible Fight when it played at Locarno last year. Ever the academic, through his prose you pick up the hint that he liked it.
Employing a no-holds-barred tactic, Sarnet infuses the narrative with a blend of folk piety and automotive-themed religious allegory. The end result is a dense tapestry unpacked through vivacious, sardonic, and subversive humor that challenges both sacred and secular norms.The Invisible Fight, despite its increasingly eccentric genre fusion, is not simply an indulgent exercise. Beneath the kung fu antics and high-octane escapades lies a substantive commentary. It addresses the youthful spirit of rebellion and individual revolt that totalistic regimes seek to suppress, allowing the director to simultaneously critique both spiritual dogmas and political constraints.
If you wish to delve further into his review you will find it here.