“Most of the freedom and joy
Nothing lasts forever.
Everyone wants to rule the world. ”
—Tears for fear
“This is what you want/This is what you get.”
—Public Image Co., Ltd.
Marty Moser (Timothy Chalamet) doesn’t know how to slow down. Slowing down will feel like surrender, like failure, and a complete loss of purpose. In this life, he comes to New York City in the booming economy of the 1950s United States to fulfill his dream of becoming the world’s best table tennis player, and he won’t rest until he captures that prestigious title. His aspirations are symbolized by a dream of a Wheaties box and a row of orange ping pong balls with his name engraved on them.
However, there are so many obstacles in his destiny. Finances are one as well, as he spends most of the film’s running time withdrawing cash from his employer’s safe and scraping together enough money to fly to Japan. Everyone else is different, even the frustrated mother (Fran Drescher). Rachel (Odessa Azion), his friend and occasional sexual partner; his uncle Murray (Larry Sloman), aka the employer whose safe he robbed; Marty offers a marketing contract to businessman Kevin O’Leary (Milton Rockwell). Or Koto (Koto Endo), the Japanese player who made the best shot to stop Marty from winning the title. And the nature of life is chaotic enough.
Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme This film, much like its protagonist, is a very propulsive film. But in addition to the strange and stressful developments in the plot, there is another strange and interesting aspect to Safdie’s films. As the final scene concludes Marty’s story (with a notable question mark) and the end credits begin to roll, Tears for Fear’s “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” becomes louder and more prominent in the soundtrack. The 1985 pop hit is a rather surprising choice for a film set in the early ’50s. Even if table tennis stardom doesn’t seem like the level of world domination, this song once again proclaims that that’s what Marty is really after. Marty wants everything: glory, fame, press, wealth. Unless he is affected by the consequences of his actions.
For Marty, the American Dream is as real and immediate as the lives of his family. Unfortunately for him, it’s also as flimsy as the cardboard in a Wheaties box.
Chalamet gives the biggest, most committed performance of his career to date, and approaches his most accomplished performance yet. (Perhaps there is a more subtle point. lady bird or Little Women) He fills Marty’s small body with a near-impossible amount of energy and the overconfidence of a man who is definitely charming, but not quite charming enough for the serious level of chaos he unleashes on everyone around him. Marty is particularly American, declaring without a hint of irony that he is in a “unique position” as a new face in table tennis, and is able to dismiss Rachel’s concerns by saying, “Everything in my life is falling apart right now, but I’ll fix it.” In his own eyes, he is a dreamer, a competitor, a self-righteous recipient of fate (no less than his Paul) dunes). But to others, he’s just a “big guy” or an “entitled American.” For Marty, the American Dream is as real and immediate as the lives of his family. Unfortunately for him, it’s also as flimsy as the cardboard in a Wheaties box.
So by the time Curt Smith’s voice shouts, “Everybody wants to rule the world” at the end of the film, despite its anachronism, we read it as a clear thematic verdict on Marty. (It’s also not Safdie’s only ’80s song that appears in the film; “Forever Young” plays in the title credits, and New Order, Public Image Ltd., Peter Gabriel, and the Colgis all appear.) Marty portrays himself as completely sure of his destiny, but the legacy created as a result of his actions is debatable. Safdie uniquely uses the anachronistic half of the soundtrack as a non-digestive commentary on the film’s central ego. Marty wants to rule the world, and he may or may not get what he wants. But he may not be ready to calculate the cost.
However, 1980s pop is not the only reference point that raises questions. Marty Supreme Biblical allusions abound. These are often overlooked at first, but when accumulated they create a similar commentary on this man’s desires. Marty, like many of the people around him, is Jewish and has survived both the tragedy of the Holocaust and the vast opportunities of 1950s New York. After making some tasteless comments about Shoah, he tries to balance himself by calling himself “Hitler’s worst nightmare.” Being Jewish is as central to Marty’s character as being American. His historical knowledge of a chosen people facing repeated suffering, intertwined with a sense of ahistorical individuality, makes him believe that he can lift himself into the stratosphere on his own.
This disconnect is clearly observed when Marty is on the phone with movie star Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow) and invites her to look at a newspaper advertising him as “The Chosen One,” but Marty neglects to mention the striking question mark at the end of the headline. Perhaps Marty is a messianic figure, a new face of table tennis, a new public representative of Judaism – and he certainly sees himself that way. Or maybe he’s going on a rampage and reaping the whirlwind. And then there’s Rachel. Its name is a love triangle conflict, Equally willing to engage in deception Just like the men around her. At one point, Marty pretends to be his sister and mirrors Rachel (whom he likely impregnated, although he denies it) in order to have a safe place to stay. abraham’s lie. In another complicated thread of the story, Marty finds himself with a dog named Moses. This dog may just represent the promised land: a ticket to the Japan Table Tennis Championships.
Although there are many references to the Hebrew Bible, Marty’s journey is not that of a man who trusts God to take him to the Promised Land. Instead, Marty is adamant about doing everything his own way, using only his own energy, without caring about the needs of those around him. Marty is a hustler, a liar, and self-centered. He certainly has greatness with a paddle in his hand, but that greatness misleads his own sense of self. In this way, Marty’s journey extends beyond the will and finds its destination. jesus question“What good is it to someone who has lost his soul even if he gains the whole world?” The costs for those around him, including Rachel and her family, Kei and Koto, pile up. And in Marty’s case, he’s always trying his best to take it off his shoulders and distract himself from everything he’s losing. Marty reveals Jesus’ warning. There is so much to be gained in this world as you pursue wealth and fame, but can you come to terms with the cost?
Co-authors Safdie and Ronald Bronstein ultimately left the headline questionable. With its 80s pop soundtrack and Biblical allusions, the film offers clear commentary but no definitive answers. Instead, we will continue to wrestle with that question. How far and how far will we go with blind determination to make our dreams come true? How much will it cost us to have everything we want? Do we even have the eyes to witness the cost? We might get what we want. But nothing lasts forever.
Source: Christ and Pop Culture – christandpopculture.com
