By: Sam Hepburn

“Marty Supreme” is the debut solo directed movie by Josh Safdie. Starring Timothee Chalamet. Written by Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein.

In the film we follow Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet), a self-absorbed and frenetic table tennis player in 1950s New York. We see Marty chase his dream of being the greatest table tennis player. We see him play in professional games and hustle for money, this leading him into dangerous situations in his pursuit of greatness. 

The performances in the film were overall great. Timothee Chalamet put his all into this film, and it shows. He makes Marty Mauser a character we can’t help but root for, no matter all the terrible decisions he makes along the way. Compared to Chalamet’s past performances, this one sticks out the most, earning him another Oscar nomination for his performance.  

Another notable performance was Odessa A’zion as Rachel Mizler, playing the role of Marty’s love interest. A’zion played her part perfectly and brought a unique sense of life to the character.

Her dynamic and on-screen chemistry with Timothee Chalamet were some of the best scenes in the film, hitting each emotional beat perfectly. 

Owen Cutright, a wvwc student and movie lover was interviewed about his opinions on the film. “When first hearing about the movie, I had no idea how ping pong could be interesting”, Cutright said. “But, somehow I was totally invested and loved every second.”  

Josh Safdie also brings the classic Safdie brother style in this film, while also pushing the boundaries. He presents this period piece by filming it as if it were filmed today, which in return makes the film feel more alive and authentic. Josh Safdie also pushed boundaries by featuring music primarily from the 1980s; while this may have easily gone wrong and not fit, Safdie somehow makes each song fit perfectly.

Another highlight of the film was the scenes of the actual table tennis matches. The scenes were full of tension and were surprisingly action-packed. We could feel how much these games meant to Marty Mauser, you could feel his passion, anger, and love for the sport. If it were a less talented director and team behind this film, the scenes involving the matches would have fallen flat. So, it’s amazing to see just how great a job they did on the scenes of table tennis. 

Overall, this film was full of heart and had a team that was very passionate about this project. Each one of the cast members put their all into this film and it truly shows.While this film could have just been about table tennis and be no more than that, Josh Safdie made this film bigger than you could possibly imagine. It was a deeply personal film about dreams, passion, youth, and consequences. The film took bold moves for a story about table tennis, and those moves paid off. The film is now nominated for 9 Academy Awards and is the highest-grossing film for A24 Studios. With award season coming up and the film to soon be available to rent, now is the best time to watch this film.

Photo by IMDb.com: rm2869142018