John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection

press release: A sport film like no other, this radical essay on tennis legend John McEnroe announces its ambition with an epigraph from Jean-Luc Godard—“cinema lies, sports doesn’t”—quickly followed by its subject slicing through a serve in super-slow motion to the sound of a roaring Sonic Youth track. Comprised of a bounty of rich 16mm footage filmed at the 1984 French Open, In the Realm of Perfection’s obsessive study of McEnroe—at the time the world’s top-ranked player—spirals into a expansive reverie on the possibilities and limits of the human body, temperament, and filmmaking itself. “The best tennis film ever made... among the very best films on any sport. Part of its exuberance, its surprise, and its delight rest in confounding whatever expectations you may have of it” (Vogue).

MMoCA’s Spotlight Cinema features premieres of critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary and feature films. Curated by Mike King, Spotlight Cinema is held on Wednesday evenings throughout the fall; visit mmoca.org for the full schedule and program details. Admission is free for MMoCA members/$7 per screening for the general public. Ticket sales begin at 6:30 pm in the museum’s lobby. The series is generously funded by maiahaus, Venture Investors, LLC, and an anonymous donor.