Tennis has never been as sexy as in Challengers. Master of genre merging, splicing, and hopping Luca Guadagnino, directing from a screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes, provides us with another fun and spicy experience, one which has none of the gore of Bones and All but all of the uniqueness and enjoyability. Scandalous and sexy, Challengers is a riot from the first swing of a racket right up to its stunning finale. With a trio of superb performances from Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, this is the must-watch match of the year so far.
Zendaya’s Tashi is at the centre of a love triangle completed by O’Connor’s Patrick Zweig and Faist’s Art Donaldson. Challengers begins in the present, with Tashi and Art married and no longer in touch with Patrick. Tashi is a former tennis prodigy who had to retire at 18 after a career-ending injury, whilst Art is a multiple Grand Slam winner trying to reach the past glories of his career. He enters a small tournament in a bid to regain confidence, only to eventually face off against his former best friend and Tashi’s ex Patrick in the final. Through flashbacks, we see the tumultuous events building up to this fiery conclusion.
If the above sounds a little dull and tennis-centred, it is anything but. From the first close-ups of the trio’s sweaty, anguished faces, Challengers is a joy to watch, a gleeful, unserious, weird, and downright wonderful treat, where as much as power and sexual tension is placed on a tie break as a steamy kiss. Kuritzkes’ incredibly well-structured screenplay, which jumps across numerous timelines with clarity, sees sex and lust as a thrusting force, driving emotions and even tennis matches. The inner workings of a bumpy, vibrant throuple are brought to the fore in wonderful detail.
Bringing Kuritzkes’ screenplay to life is Guadagnino with all the flair we have come to expect from the director. His stylistic flourishes add further energy to proceedings; slow motion, slick camera swishes, and creative below-court filming are just some of the treats Guadagnino has in store for us. On the whole, Challengers is volatile and propulsive, urged forward further by the electronic thump and disco bravado of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ sensational original score. Their music not only drives the most energetic moments, but also obliterates silence, mirroring characters’ fraught relationships and mindsets.
If you had any doubt how sexy tennis can be, watching Art exclaim orgasmically to “look at her backhand” as Tashi hits a winning shot will win you over. Challengers plays like a cheap sports drama at times, intentionally so, but it is far from all fun and games (and sets and matches). Kuritzkes looks at how fame and power, driven by competitiveness, affect lives and relationships in a never-ending struggle of superiority. Nevertheless, for all the scandal and hurt on show in Challengers, it will be surprising to see a more flamboyant and fun film in the cinema this year.
DIRECTOR: Luca Guadagnino
STARS: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist
RUNTIME: 130 minutes
COUNTRY: USA
Film Rating: 
