Who knew that the hottest ticket in town would be a Luca Guadagnino-helmed tennis drama? Well, as a Luca stan myself, I certainly did. But it is about time others did too. Be it the nightmarish beauty of Suspiria, the lustful longing of Call Me By Your Name, or the poetic nihilism of Bones and All, Guadagnino’s technical prowess and affinity for sweat-soaked storytelling is truly unmatched. This is what makes his latest directorial effort, Challengers, so utterly exhilarating. This isn’t your average sports underdog flick (by a long shot). It’s a three-person character study about talented, passionate people risking everything (including their integrity) to accomplish their goals – personal, professional, or otherwise. It’s a spectacular train wreck in slow motion with sun-kissed lighting. Did I mention it’s a blast? Between its blaring EDM-fueled score, its wickedly sexy leads, and its twisty, pulse-pounding narrative, the film serves up some serious heat (on and off the tennis court).
What makes Challengers more than just a tennis film?
How would you define the significance of tennis? For lifelong friends and colleagues, Art (Mike Faistt) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor), it’s just a game. However, for Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), a young tennis prodigy in her prime, it’s something much deeper: “It’s a relationship.” It’s not just “hitting a ball with a racquet.” It’s a powerful, intuitive connection between two people exposing their truth and vulnerability. This philosophy also serves as a definitive guide for navigating and interpreting the film’s robust, multifaceted narrative.
Art is a mousy underdog. Patrick is a mischievous loose cannon. Despite the playful friction between them, they are inseparable, in constant orbit of each other. When their world serendipitously collides with Tashi’s, there is a tectonic shift in their collective universe. Not to mention, a thick, palpable sexual tension between them. Tashi represents an idyllic superiority that unearths a corrosive rivalry between Art and Patrick. Her alluring presence of danger and desire threatens to upend everything they thought they knew about each other (and themselves). As they both desperately vie for her affection and approval, feelings of jealousy, betrayal, and deception take root.
After Tashi suffers a severe leg injury, the pendulum of fate alters the trajectory of their lives in unexpected ways. Following a multi-year separation, Art, Patrick, and Tashi are reunited for a tense, passion-fueled challenger event that promises to settle old scores, hash out old demons, and expose long-held secrets. Each has something at stake, something to prove, and something to gain. But just as Tashi describes the sport, there is a lot more happening beneath the surface than mere words can’t adequately express.
How does Luca Guadagnino make tennis sexy?
Guadagnino can access and expose his characters’ interiority with gentle guiding hands. He knows how to capture lust, desire, and sensuality unlike any filmmaker I know. His love and affection for the human form is evident in every frame. Whether his subjects are sweating profusely on the tennis court, moisturizing their skin, or in the heat of passion, he always photographs them in a tasteful, never-gratuitous fashion. The film’s editing is thrillingly kinetic and experimental, exercising every POV imaginable at a rapid-fire pace.
The booming, club-ready score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross adds a dense layer of attitude and suspense to even the most nuanced scenes. As someone, who has never given a shit about tennis, the film presents the game with the opulence and the spectacle of a battle fought in the Roman Colosseum. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the trio of terrific performances. Zendaya, Faist, and O’Connor are sensational together. They have a natural chemistry that is, by turns, titillating, passionate, devious, toxic, and unpredictable. You may find your allegiances shifting between each character, moment-to-moment, scene-to-scene. Zendaya, in particular, is so compelling to watch, wringing out moments of menace, rage, tenderness, and vulnerability, sometimes in the same scene. Challengers solidifies Guadagnino as a master craftsman and storyteller, while also serving as his most crowd-pleasing and purely entertaining film yet.
Hear more on Challengers from Laron Chapman and other Cinematropolis contributors on The Cinematic Schematic Podcast
