Behold an operatic and unbelievably captivating concoction of sports documentary, art cinema, off-piste humour and rich film history. John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection finds the tantrum-prone tennis legend at the height of his career, charting his obsessive quest for perfection and the hardest loss of his life — against Ivan Lendl at the 1984 French Open. Narrated by Mathieu Amalric, using unseen 16mm footage from the Roland-Garros film archives, this immersive film showcases the iconic grace, infamous temper and style that powered McEnroe’s hunt for tennis greatness. Far from a traditional documentary, director Julien Faraut probes archival footage to unpack McEnroe’s devotion to the sport, creating a unique portrait of a driven athlete.
“An idiosyncratic, metaphysical meditation on tennis, cinema, human behaviour, maybe even life itself…” — Los Angeles Times
English, French
France