Ping pong. Parlour tennis. Whiff-whaff. Table tennis has had plenty of names over the years, but never really has there been a film of this magnitude dedicated to the sport. But while table tennis is Marty Mauser’s sport, the film is so much more than merely a table tennis movie biopic. Frantic, bold, and visionary, Marty Supreme is a blast to the cinematic senses with an Oscar worthy performance from Timothée Chalamet at its heart, cementing him as one of the foremost actors of his generation. One of this year's best. 

 

Directed by Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) Marty Supreme stars Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser, a determined but flawed young man in 1950s New York City, who chases his dream of becoming a table tennis world champion. This  leads him on a chaotic, ambitious journey filled with high-stakes hustles, ego clashes, and a test of his relationships as he navigates obsession and survival, ultimately becoming a wild, intense portrait of ambition. 

 

How do you make a two and a half hour biopic where table tennis is central to the story at all interesting? One way is to make it narratively frenetic. Even in the midst of exposition and character development, director Josh Safdie is constantly moving his characters through the scenes and the story itself. Not only is this a brilliant and unique technique, but it also matches the central character’s life and personality as well as the chaotic nature of the main themes explored throughout this picture. 

 

The story itself follows Marty’s ambitious, ready to do anything in pursuit of his dream drive. This leads to him finding himself in socially awkward moments that makes you sink back into your seat with shared embarrassment as well as some pretty terrifyingly violent incidents too. These incidents not only add some needed comedic relief from the relentless pace of the film but also some normalcy and humanity in a strange way too. The themes here are pretty simple: the pursuit of the dream no matter what or who gets in your way. The pitfalls, both for the individual pursuing and those around them, are laid bare with the conclusion simply and beautifully delivered. 

 

The production of Marty Supreme is immensely impressive. Every scene is bursting with period detail from the signage and labels in the shoe shop Marty works in to the cultural details of his visit to Japan. Safdie’s use of 80’s pop hits, particularly how he book ends the movie with Alphaville’s smash hit Forever Young, is masterful. 

 

Chalamet will be one of those rare actors who have people watching his projects purely because he is in it. He is magnificent here; impassioned, infuriating, endearing and altogether human. A tremendous performance. 

Frantic, bold, and visionary, Marty Supreme is a blast to the cinematic senses with an Oscar worthy performance from Timothée Chalamet at its heart, cementing him as one of the foremost actors of his generation. One of this year's best.