by usia review

This is a serious film that doesn’t take itself seriously, which is what makes it so engaging

One would expect this film to be a typical award season film. One of those odes for the American Dream and the individual’s limitless potential to prosper in the “land of the free”, a hero’s journey to success in the world of sports. We are used to this type of film when this time of the year rolls in. Marty Supreme, however, is the exact antithesis of this, being very aware of this and playing with the spectator’s expectations. Following the story of Marty Mauser, which is loosely based on the real-life story of Marty Reisman, a table tennis champion, Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein crisscross around genres, tropes, and plots to bring a film that both grips the spectator and puts American myths in question.

This is a serious film that doesn’t take itself seriously, which is what makes it so engaging. It’s almost as if Marty Supreme is a film that is aware of its own tropes, constantly winking at us. This isn’t just in the way the plot unfolds, which for most of its length is about everything except table tennis, but in all its elements. It’s a film set in the 1950s, but none of its soundtrack invokes this period, consisting mostly of synth music and 1980s pop songs. This deliberate sonic anachronism is what transports us into the mindset of the film, which is not one of a regular period piece, but rather one that is deliberately placing its message in current America. It’ set in the 1950s purely as a way to make us look at what in this period invokes something about our time - from the start of American cultural and economic hegemony to our time, when this hegemony is waning.

This cinematic self-reference is also very evident in its casting choices. Be it with Abel Ferrara being cast as a ruthless mobster, being himself a director known for his gritty neo-noir films, be it with Gwyneth Paltrow being cast as a faded Old Hollywood star who has stopped working, being herself a great actress who moved out of acting, or be it with Kevin O’Leary being cast as an antagonistic millionaire, being himself infamous for his personality in the reality show Shark Tank. This list could be extended to most of its cast, including its fascinating protagonist, played beautifully by Timothée Chalamet, whose stardom - an almost anachronistic one in our post-movie stardom world - embodies perfectly the personality of Marty Mauser, one that, not only reminds us of the neurotic protagonists of New Hollywood films, but that becomes a representation of American arrogance and exceptionalism. All this is used to craft a film that becomes not only about the story it tells, but about all of its context, becoming more of a meta-film, putting the very identity of itself into question.

Identity, rather than dreams and freedom, is what could be said to be at the centre of Marty Supreme. It puts everything related to this concept in question and constantly plays with it. Be it in its self-awareness as a cinematic product, but also in the way its protagonist relates to his own Jewish identity, as it seems he attempts to both surpass it and incorporate it in himself in a constant internal battle. This subversion of identities that the film holds is done in a playful way, and that’s what makes it so effective. Through its unseriousness and humor it is able to make itself a much more interesting experience that makes us reflect on the questions it throws at us. Its twists and turns aren’t just the plot of a fun comedy, but jabs at longstanding American mythology, climaxing in an ironic anti-climax that mirrors well-known American hero’s journeys, most notably Rocky - one could describe it as an anti-Rocky.

This is a neurotic film, both in its fast rhythm and its self-awareness. It’s a film that surprises expectations, playing with them to create something thought-provoking. And, above all else, it’s a magnificently produced film, intelligently and intricately written, beautifully shot mostly in 35mm film and with astounding set design that really makes for a feast for the eye. Marty Supreme is not your usual American sports movie. It’s a beautiful chimera of genres that subverts itself and becomes much more. It is the perfect film for this historic moment.

Jasmim Bettencourt

Jasmim Bettencourt holds a degree in General Studies with a major in Performing Arts — a combination that perfectly explains her sharp eye for the world and the people who inhabit it. Between stages, screens, and behind-the-scenes spaces, she has learned to read narratives not just as entertainment, but as social mirrors.

An unapologetic (and proudly discerning) cinephile, she watches films as if taking part in an ongoing debate with the world. She always has something to say about representation, inequality, culture, and the small ironies of everyday life — sometimes gently, often firmly, and almost always with a cinematic reference thrown in.

Driven by curiosity and a strong critical sense, Jasmim blends artistic sensitivity with keen social awareness. She observes, questions, and speaks up — because, for her, art and society have never existed in separate rooms.