Summary
One of the most intense games of tennis you’ll ever see in a film that’s not really about tennis at all.
Luca Guadagnino’s most recent films have almost become a sub-genre unto themselves. At least since his adaptation of Call Me By Your Name (2017), he’s been looking at coming-of-age relationships through the lenses of newborn desire, cannibalism (Bones and All) and now, tennis.
Well, we say tennis but from the moment that the pounding intensity of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score kicks in during a challenger match at New Rochester – a pounding electronic beat that’s in discord with the country club surroundings – it’s very obvious that the visuals are at odds with what lies beneath. This very much sets the tone for the film that’s to come.
In Justin Kuritzkes’ screenplay, that match between fading tennis pro Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and challenger Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) — all while former player Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) watches on — serves as a jumping-off point for a series of nonlinear flashbacks. From their days on the junior circuit, including an encounter in a hotel room, through relationships and affairs, a triptych of overlapping narratives emerges.
In this way, CHALLENGERS presents itself as both a mystery and an erotically charged tale of a ménage that runs for over a decade. Having said that, there isn’t a single sex scene in the film. That’s all left on the court, with individual tennis matches charged with more tension than the most adrenaline fuelled blockbusters of the day.
So, what we’re left with is an engaging film about the complexities of love. In this sense, it’s Guadagnino’s most mature outing to date. Just when you think you have one of the characters all figured out, Kuritzkes and Guadagnino throw us another piece of the puzzle and suddenly a different idea snaps into place.
A lot of this is thanks to the singular performances from the cast, including O’Connor revelling in Zweig’s unearned swagger. Similarly, Zendaya arguably turning in her most accomplished performance since Sam Levinson’s Malcolm & Marie, another film that lays the inner workings of a relationship bare for the audience to see.
It all culminates in what is perhaps the most intense forty minutes of cinema in recent memory. The challenger tennis match, one that has served as the glue for the interwoven narrative, all comes to a head in a series of strokes laden with additional meaning.
CHALLENGERS leaves us with a literal embrace after a furious volley at the net. It’s a sweet release for both the audience and the players, a kind of Flashdance bucket that drenches us all in cool relief after a long build-up. As Guadagnino leaves us at this point, we must ponder what comes next – or happily go straight back in for an instant replay.
2024 | USA | DIRECTOR: Luca Guadagnino | WRITERS: Justin Kuritzkes | CAST: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist | DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros. (International), Universal Pictures (Australia), Amazon MGM Studios (USA) | RUNNING TIME: 131 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 26 April 2024
