Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.
The Garden Cinema View:
There's no time to rest in this angsty 2.5 hour saga made with exceptional filmmaking craft by Josh Safdie. The obsessive pursuit of a ping-pong career becomes launchpad to explore a charismatic yet grating character, and to immerse us in the atmosphere of a long-lost era.
Similarly to Uncut Gems, there is towering suspense amongst the organised chaos, and the plot pushes aggressively forward, demanding full attention for the hefty runtime. But Marty Supreme also revels in its sense of place - a vivid depiction of 1950s New York Jewish community is captured in exquisite detail, and is populated with big, idiosyncratic characters, all of whom feel lived in. The anachronistic use of 80s music blends in seamlessly, never feeling pretentious or like a stylistic gimmick.
Marty Supreme is noisy and, although very engaging, it sometimes makes you wonder to what end - much like its protagonist, moving forward without clear direction. Yet therein lies its charm: in the journey itself rather than any revelatory outcome.
