Josh Safdie, 41, best known for his collaborations with brother Benny on films like Uncut Gems and Good Time, has gone solo with Marty Supreme, a comedy starring Timothée Chalamet as a hustling table tennis ace in 1950s New York. The film, which draws on the life of Marty Reisman, has been named one of the Guardian's films of the year and is A24's most expensive project to date.
The supporting cast includes David Mamet, Sandra Bernhard, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Tyler the Creator. Paltrow plays a faded film star, Kay, who begins an affair with Marty. Kevin O'Leary, known as Mr Wonderful on Shark Tank, makes his film debut as her billionaire husband Milton.
Safdie says the film explores the American dream in the postwar era, when confidence and ambition were high. He contrasts that with the 1980s, which he calls 'the first postmodern era', where capitalism won and the American dream became ironic. 'Now, because of the lasting effect of the 80s, the American dream is in double quote marks, and it might be even harder to achieve,' he says.
The director cites influences from Jewish literature, including Budd Schulberg's What Makes Sammy Run? and Mordecai Richler's The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. He notes a 'latent anxiety' in Jewish culture, stemming from a history of displacement. 'There is a sense of constant rebuilding, the idea that we might have to move at any moment,' he says.
On the film's climax at the Tokyo championship, Safdie explains that Milton's line about being a vampire reflects Japan's post-war embrace of defeat and the invention of the 'atomic paddle' in table tennis, which he sees as a symbol of passive colonialism and globalism.
