In early January 2024, Benny Safdie, in an interview with Variety, confirmed that he and his brother, Josh Safdie, would pursue their own filmmaking careers. “It’s a natural progression of what we each want to explore,” Benny told Variety, stating that the two hadn’t had a falling-out, but simply wanted to pursue different things.
The brothers’ 2019 breakout triumph, the Adam Sandler-starring hot wire of a film, “Uncut Gems,” placed them among the ranks of the next generation of auteurs, alongside their many contemporaries (Gerwig, Coogler, Aster, etc.). The film garnered massive acclaim, with Benny handling the editing in his signature manic style (which is very present in their earlier works, 2017’s “Good Time,” 2014’s “Heaven Knows What,” and 2009’s “Daddy Longlegs”) and Josh handling the bulk of the screenplay and narrative.
Benny debuted his first solo directing project, “The Smashing Machine,” in early fall 2025, which I found to be semi-successful, although it had some significant flaws. A few months later, it was Josh’s turn to shine with the cultural sensation, “Marty Supreme”. The two brothers releasing their first solo projects, with some similarities (namely, both being high-brow A24 sports dramas), only months apart has caused much comparison between the two (an exercise I find remarkably depressing for Benny). There is one fact that is abundantly clear from these two projects: Benny prioritizes intimate character development, while Josh prioritizes anxiety-inducing narratives.
However, it is of note that Benny decided to go out on his new path, where Josh brought back much of the “Uncut Gems” team to work on “Marty Supreme”. Ronald Bronstein, a co-writer, producer and editor on “Uncut Gems,” was brought back in the same roles for “Marty Supreme”. The casting director (Jennifer Vendetti), cinematographer (Darius Khondji), and another producer (Eli Bush) all work on both films. This can be clearly seen in the filmmaking, as “Marty Supreme” is tonally similar to “Uncut Gems,” where “The Smashing Machine” is an entirely new beast.
“Marty Supreme” is a fictional (although inspired by the real-life table tennis legend, Marty Reisman) biopic-style film of Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet), a young, hot-headed, aspirational table tennis player, who burns countless bridges and connections to achieve greatness and his dream in the world of table tennis.
SPOILERS AHEAD – FOR MARTY SUPREME AND UNCUT GEMS
Mauser is an awful person; he makes an awfully insensitive holocaust joke, treats every woman in his life simply as a way to promote his societal status, and is abrasive and disrespectful to every form of authority he encounters. However, due to Chalamet’s excellent and charismatic performance, as well as Safdie’s brilliant writing, the viewer can’t help but root for him in the climactic table tennis match against his self-declared arch-nemesis, Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi). When Mauser ends up winning that game, it feels like a major victorious triumph, a classic tale of the underdog and America’s greatness (a la “Rocky IV”). Soon after, Mauser returns to America to greet his newly born child, one he had with his on-and-off again scandalous lover, Rachel Mizler (Odessa A’zion). The final shot of the film is Mauser bursting into tears when he gazes upon his newborn for the first time, with Tears for Fears’ synth-pop classic “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” playing in the background. Mauser realizes that this is his life. He had his big victory against Endo, which was a victory far more philosophical than practical (in fact, he burned every connection and spent every last cent he had to achieve it), but he has crashed back down to reality. He is now a father, with significant responsibilities and duties to society, and his passion, table tennis, has never become a popular and financially lucrative sport. His dream, essentially, was useless and destroyed his life. The credits come on, but Curt Smith’s vocals continue to play in the background: “Welcome to your life. There’s no turning back.”
Despite what many chronically online people think, the film does not endorse or support Mauser or any of his actions. It’s a film about growing up and all the mistakes you make along the way. A film about the stupidity of many contemporary sports prodigies, and the danger of chasing a single dream. Despite what The New Yorker’s Richard Brody claims, “Marty Supreme” is not “‘Uncut Gems’ with a happy ending.” Sure, it’s less shocking, but it’s equally (if not more) bleak than the “Uncut Gems” ending; it just isn’t as clear as a gunshot to the forehead.
