(Detra Bell / Fourth Estate)
How will the movie be remembered?
BY LOUIS VOLKER, COPY EDITOR
Marty Mauser, the ping-pong obsessed protagonist of Josh Safdie’s newest Academy Award-nominated film “Marty Supreme,” is not a good person. He lies, he cheats, he kills, he manipulates and he steals.
He will soon become a celebrated pop culture icon.
“Marty Supreme” is by all means an excellent movie. With absurd comedy beats, dedicated performances and an engaging 80’s-inspired soundscape that clashes deliciously with its 50’s setting, its nine Oscar nominations are no surprise. While I don’t believe it will top “One Battle After Another” for the coveted Best Picture prize, star Timothée Chalamet has a real shot at becoming one of the youngest ever Best Actor winners.
Mauser’s (Chalamet) unique appeal as a character stems from his radical self-belief. Unrelentingly charismatic, his insistence upon the inevitability of his future greatness is audacious and immediately charming. Our experience is similar to that of many of the movie’s side characters: despite our awareness of his many flaws, we can’t help but root for him.
As a result, he seems to be quickly joining the likes of ‘Literally Me’ characters: movie characters that young men idolize online and seek to emulate in their attitudes and lives. These characters are solitary and socially alienated men that strive for power or control over their situations, often using violence and immoral means to achieve it.
Think men like Rustin Cohle, Patrick Bateman, Officer K and even The Joker.
The issue with Mauser and ‘Literally Me’ characters doesn’t lie in how their movies portray them, but in how audiences digest them. Young men in particular can misinterpret source material and end up reinforcing harmful societal beliefs about themselves and others.
The rhetorical argument made by “Marty Supreme” is genuinely one of my favorite aspects of the movie. It’s an engaging and effective story that embraces radical self-belief while warning against disregarding others in one’s pursuit of greatness. The issue arises when the audience doesn’t glean this message.
My worry is that young men who watch “Marty Supreme” will be inspired to see the world the way that Mauser does when they recognize his confidence, but don’t recognize his hubris. Men that feel underestimated and disregarded likely see Mauser as a role model, and fail to realize his deep character flaws that give the movie its iconic ‘Safdie-esque’ tension.
Similar to how viewers ignore the satire of “American Psycho” and view Patrick Bateman as someone to emulate, I worry that Mauser’s lack of empathy will be remembered and reflected along with his audacious charisma.
I don’t believe the movies that have introduced these characters are at fault for how they’ve been absorbed into popular culture. I also don’t believe that there’s anything wrong with liking fictional characters that are bad people. Interpretations of movies are subjective, and there is no one true way to completely understand or misunderstand the messages told by fiction.
The problematic effect of ‘Literally Me’ characters becomes apparent when it directly affects how people, especially young men, view the world and treat others.
This is a proven issue that has created real harm in today’s society. “Groypers” and practices like “ooksmaxxing,” while memed, originate from an internet “manosphere” that perpetuates anti-feminist rhetoric and the idea that gender equality strips away men’s rights. Users operating within the manosphere use these ‘Literally Me’ characters not as the warnings they are written to be, but as sources of personal identity. They can take these flawed characters and find reassurance and security in their flaws, rather than inspiration to seek growth and avoid the disastrous fates that many of these characters face.
Unsuspecting lonely young men that seek security and identity can easily become roped into these online circles and worldviews advertised as cures for their loneliness and insecurity. I love “Marty Supreme.” The world loves “Marty Supreme.” I just hope the world doesn’t fall in love with Marty Mauser.
