‘Art of Self-Defense’ takes on toxic masculinity

Poor Casey Davies. A jittery sort, he’s roundly ignored at work. At home, he sits quietly in his bland apartment, stroking his pet dachshund and watching a little square television. His answering machine taunts him: “You have ONLY one message,” it ominously declares.

Obviously, Casey’s life needs to change, and it soon does. He is violently attacked one night by a gang of motorcyclists, and that’s when the wheels start turning in Riley Stearns’ trippy, darkly engaging “The Art of Self-Defense.”

‘The Art of Self-Defense’

Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola.

R for violence, sexual content, graphic nudity and language.

Great Fair

Bad

Good Bomb

The beating, quite understandably, unmoors Casey (Jesse Eisenberg in a role he was born to play), and he feels

tual lie.” In 2013, the grandmother of director and writer Lulu Wang was diagnosed with an advanced terminal condition. Wang wanted to reach out, but things got complicated when she discovered that her family kept the truth from her grandmother. The story was featured on an episode of “This American Life” called “What You Don’t Know.”

It’s clear that Wang pours her soul into this movie to make the audience see what she sees. The idea of keeping the secret appears to be a black-and-white issue going in. But by the end, things are more gray.

It’s from this foundation that the filmmaker allows humor, joy, compassion and sorrow to take over.

Awkwafina plays Billi, the granddaughter, and it’s refreshing to see her in something more serious than “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Ocean’s Eight.” At one point, Billi opens up to her mother about being torn from China when she was 6 years old, and it’s a perfect showcase of the actress’ range.

And it’s worth noting that despite heavy themes in Western versus Eastern culture, it’s a very universal movie that plays on family and the intense love shared.

Shuzhen Zhao, who plays the loving matriarch, is a wonder. She perfectly plays the role of a grandmother who meddles into family affairs with humor and affection.

There are times when the movie feels long, but the scenes have a purpose.

It’s truly a must-see movie for those looking to find something new.

Chinese-born, U.S.-raised Billi (Awkwafina) and her family reluctantly return to Changchun for a wedding despite knowing that their matriarch, Nai-Nai (grandma) is dying.