Luca Guadagino’s latest movie, Challengers, is a grand slam of a film.
The film perfectly captures and merges athleticism and romantic tension. Tashi (Zendaya), a former tennis prodigy turned trainer, and her husband Art (Mike Faist) are on a losing streak and enter a challengers competition to help Art rehabilitate his image. This is complicated by a former friend turned rival, Patrick (Josh O’Connor), also competing in this competition.
From there, the film unfolds in flashback and present, all structured around the big game between Patrick and Art.
Tennis may not be for everyone, but Challengers does a great job investing the audience in the sport regardless of prior interest. The three leads training for the film is evident, and the style on display during the matches makes them a captivating watch.
This is not a typical sports film, though, as tennis is more of a setting to add to and create suspense in the film’s overall narrative of how love and success can break a relationship. This shouldn’t come as a surprise though, considering this coming from the director behind Call Me By Your Name and Bone and All, as this film is just as heavy and enthralling as those.
Zendaya’s performance is a welcome surprise, delivering a character well overdue in cinema. She is dangerously likeable and manipulative and has a borderline abrasive persona. It’s incredibly refreshing to see a strong, flawed, complex character as the lead of a film, and Zendaya knocks it out of the court.
It’s also refreshing to see Zendaya grow into a more mature role in this film. She harnesses Tashi’s sexuality whilst retaining power.
Surprisingly, despite being a lead and catalyst for the film’s narrative, Tashi has relatively little dialogue. Instead, she commands the film through her subtle manipulation of the men. Zendaya not only lives up to this challenge, she exceeds all expectations.
Faist and O’Connor are equally compelling forces in the film. They present a non-toxic male competitiveness and innate love for each other despite their rivalry in the film’s present story. There’s a palpable chemistry between the two that makes them worthy tennis opponents and fascinating factors in the film’s central love triangle.
It would be wrong to label either of them as supporting actors, as they stand alongside Zendaya in anchoring the film.
Challengers is also packed to the brim with symbolism and stylish editing. From the camera work to the unforgettable soundtrack, this film will find some way to leave you in awe. It’s more than just a love story between characters and tennis. It’s a visual feast that is engaging, thrilling and steamy throughout.
This is the kind of film that demands multiple watches to be fully appreciated. There is so much to engage with, from the characters to Guadagnino’s stylistic flourishes. It’s such a fast-paced and purposefully messy movie in its storytelling and delivery that it would be difficult to engage with every aspect and take in the subtleties and metaphors on first viewing.
