Marty Supreme Confuses Me
Yesterday was eventful.
I was supposed to go to the Agam band's concert, but didn't. I missed Flent and the OpenAI event. While I believe the OpenAI even wasn't worth it, I'm a teeny-bit disappointed about the Flent. I knew we weren't bound to go to the concert seeing mom's disinterest and how occupied she was with the movie, but I still limboed in indecision.
I think that's a problem, which I do admit I'm working on. Indecision. I think I want to make decisions quicker and sooner and stick by them. And while that's hampered by my lethargy, I don't think letting lethargy decide is a right way to go. It's a small variable amidst a host of others. Don't need to preferentialize it.
But self-assessment aside, I dropped by a Masters program event and interacted with some schools! Man UC Berkeley Haas for a public school is filled with some douches in their admissions outreach! The guy was so standoff-ish and carried this sense of elitism that only IITians carry in India. Yes, we know your school is great but you do realise that Cambridge is right here too! Demis was from Cambridge and you don't see them trumpeting how great their school is?
I think this really put me off from applying for the UC Berkeley Haas program but no matter. I was really keen to hear him talk about UCLA too so might consider that instead of UCB. But the program was sort of alright? I'm glad I went there because I managed to interact with Bocconi too. They were pretty kind, and I kind of appreciated the pedigree of the university a bit more. And the financing? Is totally great.
I mean about 50lakhs for two years? That's almost how much ISB charges and I get to work at financial firms too! I think it's definitely great and I do think I might consider it for a serious opportunity. But UChicago is still unabashedly the top of my list.
Anyhow. I saw Marty Supreme! And in usual fashion, I'd like to meta-analyze it.
For me the movie just felt different. The past few movies I've seen (Kantara, The King) and some other plots are linear. The storyline is direct, a hero'd journey or some variant where it's predictable. Marty Supreme isn't quite that.
Firstly, hats off to Timothee. I loved him in the King and that really motivated me to watch Marty Supreme rather than the marketing stunts he pulled and boy, oh, boy did he not disappoint. Amazing. He really does live up to his words and his art, actions and acting just capture it well. I think I find his work - The King > Marty Supreme > Dune Series.
My liking for the King is not so arbitrary. As I recollect, I've also loved Denzel's Tragedy of Macbeth. Maybe I just fancy these historical periodicals and man they are so, SOOO GOOD. (Macbeth > The King ??? Hmm, I'm confused)
Coming to the thesis of it, I think Ping Pong is irrelevant to Marty Supreme. Table tennis is like a plot device, a context to frame Marty in and show-off his narcissism. Maybe the directors know, Ping Pong is a party game and not taken so seriously so setting it in a time and place where it's not appreciated also makes the character a bit more exaggerated.
For me, Marty Supreme was more about how his narcissism just creates chaos upon him. The dog sub-plot, his obsession to go to Japan, his need for approval from those way higher than him. His urge to go after things that aren't his (both the romance plots with Rachel and Cay), all encapsulate his obsession with himself.
And I think it's kind of great the film shows this. Marty's dreams and frame of the world is purely from an idea of 'me'. He doesn't mind fucking around people, their lives and his own in order to achieve his vision of the world. He doesn't love ping pong, TT is a tool to help him reach his world.
The movie's really unsettling because I still can't frame my thoughts right. There's just so much going on -- more so in themes than in the characters themselves. What is the movie trying to tell me?
From my interpretation it's just that maybe, maybe narcissism bad? It's a clear and simple one but it isn't just that. Cay's failure in her acting, Marty's ban from TT championships all also just show the reality in life too. That you can't have your cake and eat it too.
You don't get everything in life. And it's just shit, all you can do is cry about it, reframe it as better days are coming and move on. Even if you're ambitious and will die trying, sometimes it just doesn't work out. And maybe that's ok.