Film Information
In 1950s NYC, table tennis bred a subculture full of schemers, geniuses, and outcasts — it was a game played in smoky backrooms, penthouse parties, YMCAs, Ivy League dorms, and downtown tenements. It was amongst these outsiders that writer/director Josh Safdie and writer Ronald Bronstein found a new outlet for their enduring love of flawed characters and unorthodox world-building. The result is a bold, kinetic portrait of a fast-talking New York City dreamer loosely inspired by American table tennis player Marty Reisman.
It’s 1952, and Marty Mauser is stuck selling shoes in his uncle’s cramped Lower East Side store. Table tennis has become his escape hatch. The problem is, in post-war America, table tennis is barely more respected than tiddlywinks. Still, not even the vampires of industry can stop Marty from becoming Marty Supreme — because for him, every obstacle is a reason to double down.
Reviews
"Heartfelt, explosive, raw and sweaty with pace and desperation and humor in abundance... I mean, this film is like the gift that keeps on giving and it left me thinking what is life without internal struggle and dream?" – Charli XCX via Letterboxd
Film Stills
