The Big Picture ‘Marty Supreme’ Is the Moment, With Josh Safdie!
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Dec 24, 2025 
Filmmaker Josh Safdie joins to discuss his much-anticipated film, 'Marty Supreme,' starring Timothée Chalamet. Known for hits like 'Uncut Gems,' Safdie shares the immense pressure he faced after its success. He reveals how a thrift-store find inspired the film and the vibrant world of table tennis. The conversation dives into themes of fate and ambition, as well as Chalamet’s perfect fit for the lead role. Safdie also reflects on whether this film marks a new creative chapter for him as a director.
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Ambition As Sympathetic Engine
- Marty Supreme reframes youthful overconfidence as a sympathetic engine rather than pure selfishness.
- The film treats ambition as making the outside world match an inner sense of destiny.
Period Setting Creates Fable-Like Tone
- Shifting the Safdies' style to a period piece lets their surreal anxiety feel like a fable rather than documentary realism.
- The film blends 1950s visuals with 1980s musical energy to create a timeless, dreamlike tone.
Finale Built Around Meeting His Son
- The film's emotional pivot comes when Marty meets his newborn son and hears 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' as a needle drop.
- Josh built that finale around the visceral shock of parenthood and timed the music and baby sound for maximum impact.