Marty Supreme

Directed by: Josh Safdie
USA, 2025, 150'

Cankarjev dom Cinema Marty Supreme

Written by: Josh Safdie, Ronald Bronstein
Director of Photography: Darius Khondji
Music: Daniel Lopatin
Cast: Timothée Chalamet (Marty Mauser), Gwyneth Paltrow (Kay Stone), Odessa A'zion (Rachel Mizler), Larry 'Ratso' Sloman (Murray Norkin), Abel Ferrara (Ezra Mishkin), Sandra Bernhard (Judy), Emory Cohen (Ira Mizler), Géza Röhrig (Béla Kletzki)
Distribution: Blitz

After Uncut Gems (2019), the Safdie brothers decided to pursue solo careers. Unlike his younger brother Benny, Josh Safdie persists in using the brothers’ signature iconography, full of manic New York losers, morally questionable manipulators, and deluded characters dreaming of a big break, fame, and money. One such protagonist is the charismatic Marty Mauser, a small-time know-it-all who ekes out a hand-to-mouth existence, rejects commitment (both to jobs and relationships) and dreams of a career as a professional table tennis player (a sport that’s becoming a "big thing" in the early 1950s Asia), while still looking for his first influential US backer. In sticking to his grand plan, Marty breaks promises, runs up debts, makes shady acquaintances, and dodges stable romantic relationships. He stakes everything on the upcoming world championship in Tokyo, seeking to challenge the unbeatable local champion Endo. The film is loosely based on real-life table tennis player, Marty Reisman.

I started playing table tennis as a kid, following in the footsteps of generations of my family. I learned about legendary eccentric Jewish immigrant Lower East Side characters who’d play at my grandparents’ kitchen table after Shabbat dinner. It opened my eyes to this fascinating subculture of misfits who all congregated in New York and played for money all the time. You have this thing that’s so meaningful to you and means nothing to other people. Then my wife picked up a copy of The Money Player, the memoir by ‘50s table-tennis champion Marty Reisman, at a thrift store, and she figured I would be into it.
Josh Safdie

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