Explicit lust, throuples and malewifes have never been more back, and it’s no surprise Luca Guadagnino is at the forefront of the sexy cinema revolution.
Challengers may revolve around the tennis careers of three individuals. Still, the interwoven intimacy and passion that takes place both off and on the court is the true narrative of the film.
Starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor, the three play tennis prodigies at three different life stages: before college, during, and a decade or so after.
Over this time, loyalties and attractions wilt and strengthen, but the chemistry never falters. Whether they hate or love each other in a scene, it’s undeniable that they all always just want to f*ck. Guadagnino is a master at subliminal or blatant horniness, but Challengers may just be his best execution of sexual prowess yet.
The palpable chemistry between the three actors directly contributes to the constant emotional and sexual tension of Challengers. Zendaya, as always, deserves her flowers.
Her brilliance and beauty were captivating, yet her mature authority was the most spellbinding element. Zendaya, who frequently played teenagers in shows like Euphoria, is breaking out into the adult character sphere and Challengers proves she is more than capable in the older bracket.
O’Connor and Faist were a pair that succeeded apart, but their moments together were where their performances peaked. The connection and the attraction between them were fantastically intense. The two seemed to exist in a world of their own, a chemistry unparalleled that gave the film a level of angst near impossible to obtain.
The score only added to the constant stress and horniness of the film. Guadagino teamed up with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who he worked with for Bones and All and separately scored The Social Network, for a soundtrack that knew when to interstate with a scene and when to punch into it. It’s so good, we can forgive them for ending the opening track with the iPhone alarm sound.
Just as brilliant was the camera work. Giving the audience several points of view, ranging from beneath the court to being the ball on the court, was a whacky whirlwind which added to the frantic heat of the film. It was an experience that filmmakers often shy away from, yet, as usual, Guadagnino smashed it.
Despite the gushing praise, Challengers did fall flat in one regard. The time jumps were far too frequent and a little cluttered. From eight years ago, to two days earlier, and the day of the match- plus more in between- it all felt a little jarring.
Luckily, the costuming made it easy to identify what period the scene was in, however, the story flowed a little more smoothly if the time jumps had been cut by a third.
All in all, if you want to play tennis anytime soon, I’d get the court booked ASAP. And have the conversation about opening up your relationship sooner rather than later.
Also, thank Guadagnino for the film of a lifetime. Challengers is a film to catch in cinemas whilst you can and scroll the Twitter (X) content whilst it’s still fun.
Feature Image credit: Warner Bros Pictures
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