What many thought was a story about an ambitious table tennis player turned out to be the most high-energy film of the year. Released on Christmas day, “Marty Supreme” is directed by Josh Safdie and stars Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion and Tyler Okanoma.
The film is loosely based on the life of Marty Reisman, named Marty Mauser in the film, a champion table tennis player in the 1950s. The story follows Marty through his upwards climb into the world table tennis championship. Along the way, he encounters many obstacles involving the people in his life along with his poor finances; most obstacles are the consequences of his own actions.
“Marty Supreme” is Safdie’s solo directorial debut; in the past he’s known for working on films with his brother, Benny Safdie. The duo is mostly recognized for their fast paced work in films like “Uncut Gems” and “Good Times,” a style that Safide carried into “Marty Supreme.” The chaotic life of Marty couldn’t have been directed by anyone else.
Chalamet as Marty Mauser is the standout performance of the year. Marty, both in real life and the film, was a very ambitious man who didn’t let anything stand in his way, an essence that he perfectly captured in his performance. Chalamet also produced the film alongside Safdie; this allowed him to give his input on this character and lead Marty in directions that Chalamet felt best fit him.
One scene in particular stood out the most is when Marty begs his fellow table tennis player Bela Kletzki (Geza Rohrig) to tell the story of how he smothered himself in honey to help his prison mates in Auschwitz. Marty loves this story because he views Bela as being worshiped, just like how he wants to be; in reality, Bela committed a very selfless act, but Marty doesn’t understand that because he’s never been selfless himself. Chalamet portrays Marty’s excitement as a hunger for people to love him, a bit ironic of Marty because that’s the opposite of what Bela’s story is representing.
Opposite him is Odessa A’Zion as Rachel Mizler, Marty’s childhood friend and lover. Rachel keeps Marty’s story as grounded as possible, because she’s one of the only people from his early life that he feels affectionate towards, something A’Zion keeps at the root of her performance. She’s able to bounce off Chalamet by matching his energy, but also brings a softer side to the film that is a breath of fresh air from the chaos.
The film has already been making waves throughout the film community for its acting and directing. Most notably, Chalamet won best actor for his performance at the Critics Choice Awards on Jan 4. The film has also garnered nominations at the Golden Globes and Actor Awards; it’s expected to continue to get more at BAFTA and the Oscars.
The score is composed by Daniel Lopatin and features a wide range of instrumentation. Specifically, the use of synth in the score creates a retro futuristic feeling within the film. It helps accent the feeling of aspiring for the future, just like how in the 50s, many people were looking towards a better future through the ideas of retro futurism.
Miyako Bellizzi was the head costume designer that helped create the fashion of 50s New York City. Bellizzi focused on Marty’s clothing representing who he wanted to be and fit in with, the socialites that he can use to launch forward his table tennis career. This contrasts with the clothing of the people he grew up around, out of fashion styles from the 40s that looked lived in, something Marty wanted to distance himself from.
“Marty Supreme” is the cautionary tale of an ambitious man, a man who ruins the lives of the ones around him to move his own life forward. The cast and crew were able to expertly capture Marty’s story and bring it to the big screen for the world to see.