Marty Supreme (Josh Safdie, 2025, USA/Finland)
Marty Supreme is the latest effort from Josh Safdie, absent the collaboration he has been having with his brother, Benny, for over a decade. Both brothers struck it out on their own this year, and Josh seems to have come out on top, with Marty surpassing Benny’s Smashing Machine both critically and commercially. A period piece about ping pong didn’t seem like an obvious commercial sell, but add Timothee Chalamet into the mix, and you have something. Marty is a curious film in that it is a period piece, but it feels more like an 80s sports movie showing the 1950s than a 50s period piece. This is demonstrated through the use of constant 80s songs, as well as Daniel Lopatin’s excellent synth-based score, which has many echoes of music from the later Rocky films. The film is thus a mirror of a mirror, and this kind of pastiche quality is also found in the film’s casting. As with the Safdies’ past efforts, the casting here is a mix of big star power, total unknowns, unusual character act...
