As the fall semester comes to a close, short-on-cash Emerson College students without board bucks to spare often find themselves chomping at the bit to stay out of the cold. Thankfully, the Coolidge Corner Theatre presented Emerson film fans with a more than acceptable complimentary solution—an opportunity to watch a serious Oscar contender in New England’s most successful independent nonprofit cinema.
Hours ahead of time, a slew of college students from around Boston clung to the wall outside the historic theater on Nov. 21 to get a chance to attend a screening of Timothée Chalamet’s latest feature, “Marty Supreme,” followed by a moderated discussion with the film’s director, Josh Safdie. Emerson students were made aware of the screening through a “first come, first serve” email notice.
Safdie earned prominence by writing and directing the acclaimed crime thrillers “Good Time” and “Uncut Gems” alongside his brother, Benny Safdie. Known collectively as the Safdie Brothers, the two recently parted ways creatively to pursue separate projects, the first of which was released earlier this year as Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine” with Dwayne Johnson. Arriving just two months later, Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme” stars Chalamet as scrappy street rat Marty Mauser, a brazenly confident table tennis prodigy from 1950s Brooklyn who attempts to backhand and topspin his way to becoming the world’s table tennis champion.
From the opening credits set to “Forever Young” by Alphaville, to the film’s emotional conclusion, the Emerson and Boston University students were glued to the screen, as evident from the fervent audience reactions throughout the film—typical for film students, honestly.
After a decidedly strong ovation from the college crowd, BU alum Josh Safdie ‘07 took the Coolidge stage with former BU film professor Charles Merzbacher for a conversation on the film’s origins and how the trials and tribulations of Chalamet’s ping pong warrior mirror Safdie’s recent experiences as a filmmaker.
“The dream of making [“Uncut Gems”] was every day I woke up and I had a purpose. I woke up and it just meant something to me,” explained Safdie. “And then when it was over…dreams are not really supposed to end.”
Safdie described his initial conversations with his writing partner, Ronald Bronstein, surrounding his latest inspiration—a story about individualism and taking fate into your own hands.
“Ronnie’s like, ‘You want to make a movie about the world’s greatest table tennis player?’ He couldn’t believe it,” said Safdie. “He was like, ‘I have no interest.’”
Inevitably, Bronstein came around to the idea.
Despite an “amicable” split, the Safdie brothers were now both going at it alone. It’s only natural what kind of movie Josh Safdie would ultimately make by himself.
“I was very interested in making a movie about change,” he said. “You start using your own life experiences. You find a character, a vessel, to try to deposit that into and explore some of these themes. And really, it was this misfit young character.”
Drawing loose inspiration from real-world, three-time national table tennis champion Marty Reisman, Safdie and Bronstein devised a story of a Brooklyn swindler who sells shoes by day and serves fearsome forehands by night, eventually forming a one-sided rivalry with Japanese table tennis world champion Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi).
“There was this American hyperindividualist, American exceptionalist. He doesn’t care about his country,” said Safdie. “All he cares about is himself, which is the American way. Individuals change the world.”
Safdie went on to describe how he and Bronstein developed the character of Marty Mauser, and how they were able to tailor the role to Chalamet’s bright personality. Safdie recalled how he was immediately endeared to the young actor when he first met him shortly before the release of “Call Me By Your Name.”
“It was actually at the ‘Good Time’ after party in New York,” Safdie said. “And I see this kid. He was actually with his friend, and they were pretending to be on acid. But I didn’t know that. And I was talking to them. And he was beaming. He couldn’t sit in his skin. I saw a kid who had a very supreme vision of himself. He was Timmy supreme. And he had just energy. And his eyes were so wide. He was dreaming big.”
Chalamet comes off the heels of an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance as Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown.” However, his most recent outing is expected to be a recurring name at next year’s awards, once again setting expectations for a Chalamet nomination.
A plethora of talent aids Chalamet in various supporting roles. Most notably, Odessa A’zion plays a married pet store owner in the midst of an affair with Marty. The cast is rounded out by Kevin O’Leary—best known as Mr. Wonderful on “Shark Tank”—as Milton Rockwell, a wealthy businessman hoping to take Marty under his wing; Gwyneth Paltrow as Rockwell’s wife; and Tyler Okonma—made famous by his music under the pseudonym, Tyler the Creator—as a Brooklyn cab driver and Marty’s friend.
“Marty Supreme” will be released in theaters on Christmas Day.
“There’s a New Order song called ‘Dreams Never End,’” said Safdie. “You could say corny things like ‘life is a dream,’ but it is kind of. And sometimes the dream is about the journey.”
