LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Marty Supreme, in theaters Dec. 25, is a triggering, abrasive experience. This is by design, however, and director Josh Safdie can claim mission accomplished.
Timothée Chalamet stars as Marty Mauser, a young man who works at a shoe store to fund his table tennis tournament competitions. Marty is a brash trash talker but a gifted and skilled player.
After a defeat and outburst at the 1952 tournament, Marty faces a hefty fine from the table tennis league. Back in New York, he hustles and schemes to try to raise funds to pay off his fine and redeem himself on the world stage.
The film's very first scene establishes a dynamic in which characters talk over each other, never letting the audience fully hear the dialogue. This is a bad habit people exhibit in real life, but Safdie uses it to create discomfort and never lets up.
Like most hustler movies, Marty's ruses in local ping pong halls lead to violence, but so do many of his other ploys. Violence erupts suddenly and intensely, showing the dangerous consequences of Marty's actions.
