By Grace Hogsten
Copy Editor
When the first trailer for Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” dropped during the summer of 2023, the internet was in a tizzy over its content, which included a supposed threesome between lead actors Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor.
“New personality unlocked. Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor in Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Challengers,’” pop culture writer Evan Ross Katz said in an Instagram post.
Unfortunately, fans had to wait until April 26, 2024 for the film, since its initial September 2023 release was pushed due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes.
The moviefollows the intertwined lives of tennis players Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), Art Donaldson (Faist), and Patrick Zweig (O’Connor). With stellar acting, high stakes, palpable sexual tension, and unconventional editing decisions, “Challengers”engages its audience from start to finish.
The film opens in the midst of a present-day tennis match between Art and Patrick, whose careers have stalled — Art’s after an injury following many championship wins and Patrick’s having never quite gotten off the ground. Tashi, a renowned tennis prodigy forced to quit the sport after an injury, watches the match as Art’s coach and wife.
Rather than following a linear timeline, “Challengers”alternates between moments in the past and present to explore the dynamic of the three characters.
When Art and Patrick first meet Tashi as teenagers, they are almost as devoted to each other as they are to tennis. However, what begins as flirtation between the three players becomes a complex web of sex, love, and power that shapes their lives and careers.
While the film has some explicitly sexual scenes, its undertones extend far beyond those moments. Art and Patrick’s homoerotic tension permeates the narrative, from their grunts, moans, and pouring sweat on the court to the eye contact they maintain while taking huge bites out of phallic foods, like bananas and churros.
“There’s the scene that’s on the page, and then there’s the other, unspoken scene,” Zendaya said in an interview with Variety. “When we first set our Zoom together…[director Luca Guadagnino] was already starting to carve that out and understand what this movie could be.”
Guadagnino’s touch brings layers of meaning to each scene, imbuing every moment with added depth that viewers will want to analyze and revisit.
“I don’t watch tennis matches. It’s quite boring to me,” Guadagnino said in an interview with Little White Lies. “[T]he way in which tennis is shown is rather undynamic as you have to be objective…but for this film the tennis had to be very subjective.”
“Challengers”is not without its weak spots, however. While the film’s plot and acting are strong, it is plagued by bold editing choices that do not quite pay off.
Throughout the movie, the camera captures scenes from various points of view and angles, which often illustrate key aspects of the film — such as its power dynamics — but continually veer into the distracting and absurd. In quick succession, the viewer takes on the visual perspective of a player, then the tennis ball, then the court.
The film emphasizes many of its most important moments through gratuitous slow-motion shots that eventually become overplayed. Alternatively, some transitions feel out of place because they appear only once; during one impactful sequence, “Challengers”employs its singular freeze-frame moment, quickly followed by a shot where Tashi fades into an empty hallway.
When used sparingly, these editing strategies can be meaningful and effective, but when employed to excess, they can detract from the film.
The movie’s score runs into similar issues at times, but its musical choices are strong overall and build the emotion of each scene. EDM plays in the background of many tense moments, both on the court and off. Dramatic additions of choral voices and solemn instrumentals intersperse these moments to bring a variety of sounds.
In some scenes, the music and editing are overpowering, but for most of the film, they pair well with the movie’s high stakes.
“Challengers” recurring themes and images connect its roundabout timeline and stand out among its strongest elements. The film’s movement through time builds tension within the narrative and changes the audience’s perspective of previous scenes.
According to the Washington Post, “Each time we return to that central game, our understanding of the players and the stakes has completely changed.”
“Challengers”is an expertly crafted film that necessitates a rewatch; it is dramatic and complex, with strong leads who draw the audience into the world of tennis, sexuality, and power.
Photo by Grace Hogsten.
Photo Caption: Zendaya stars as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis player turned coach after suffering a life-changing injury.