One of the most unusual documentaries we have seen in years, JOHN MCENROE: IN THE REALM OF PERFECTION is constructed around a newly uncovered treasure trove of 16mm footage of the hot-headed and brilliant tennis star John McEnroe. Close-ups and slow-motion sequences of McEnroe competing, as well as instances of his notorious temper tantrums, highlight a “man who played on the edge of his senses.”
In a film that is far from a traditional documentary, filmmaker Julien Faraut probes the archival film to unpack both McEnroe’s attention to the sport and the footage itself, creating a lively, deconstructive and immersive look at a driven athlete, a study on the sport of tennis and the human body and movement, and finally how these all intersect with cinema itself.
