Warning: spoilers ahead
Since its release less than a week ago, Challengers has held many labels. Some have called it a drama; some have called it a thriller. Some call it a sports film, owing to the film’s overarching tennis storyline. The film, indeed, cannot be put into a singular box — such is the feeling of frenzy upon watching this layered love story, that all labels seem restrictive.
The film, indeed, cannot be put into a singular box — such is the feeling of frenzy upon watching this layered love story, that all labels seem restrictive.
The story of Challengers revolves around Tashi, a prodigy tennis player-turned-coach, who has turned her husband, Art, from a mediocre sportsman to a world-famous tennis champion. His losing streak makes Tashi nervous, who chooses to enrol him in a lower-level game to get him out of the rut. Things turn complicated when they find that Art’s opponent is none other than his estranged former best friend, Patrick — who was also Tashi’s boyfriend. Challengers revives the age-old trope of a love triangle and gives it a contemporary spin.
Starring Zendaya (Dune, Spiderman, and Euphoria) as Tashi, Josh O’Connor (The Crown) as Patrick, and Mike Faist (West Side Story) as Art, Challengers is a magnificent story of three tennis players in their prime, who complete with one another. Director Luca Guadanigno, whose 2017 film Call Me By Your Name is considered one of the best films of the 21st century, proves his mastery once again by making Challengers a visual treat, with the feeling of desire palpable through the screen. It is erotic, entertaining, and an absolute joy to watch.
Challengers: a love triangle through the female gaze
In one of the most talked-about scenes in Challengers, Tashi invites Art and Patrick to join her on the bed. Both men are utterly enchanted by her — she is, after all, a tennis prodigy with a sparkling career ahead of her — and don’t waste a single moment in joining her. As things start to turn into a ménage à trois — with the three kissing — Tashi moves back, watching the two men kiss each other passionately and not realising that she had pulled away. This scene symbolises the woman’s voice present throughout the film.
While Challengers is a nod to the classic trope of a love triangle, it does not come with the attached misogyny. Unlike where the woman is the prize and the focus is solely on the men trying to win her over, the tension between the two men who desire Tashi is subtle. Throughout the film, it is Tashi who holds the reins to this tug of war. She fuels the competition between Art and Patrick by making herself the prize. Tashi knows her worth, as well as the worth of the two men who want her.
The greyness of Tashi’s character is remarkable; there is no pretence in her one and only desire: to play tennis. She is fixated on it; her relationship with Art and Patrick blossom and dwindle because of it. The viewer is left trying to understand her motives, which makes for an exciting watch.
In fact, Tashi’s development as a character is the foundation on which Challengers progresses. After her promising career takes a nosedive following a knee injury, her only route to remain in the sports is coaching — and Art is her only client. As Art’s career starts to plummet, Tashi finds solace in Patrick, who positively challenges her. Through a constant back-and-forth between the years leading up to the match between Art and Patrick — also orchestrated by Tashi — one can see how she is instrumental in not only causing a rift between the two men, but also in bringing them together.
The queerness in mens’ sports
‘I’m not a homewrecker,’ Tashi says, acknowledging the bond between Patrick and Art in different moments throughout the film.
What’s striking in Challengers is Guadagnino’s attempt to bring out the unabashedly queer quality of mens’ sports that is deliberately overlooked. Sport is a site where men can touch, embrace, and emote without societal judgement, and this carries the story on its shoulders. The chemistry between Art and Patrick is palpable, and it stays with the audience all the way till the climax, where the characters find a sweet, satisfying release.
What’s striking in Challengers is Guadagnino’s attempt to bring out the unabashedly queer quality of mens’ sports that is deliberately overlooked.
Whether it is recalling the story of Patrick teaching Art how to masturbate, or being unafraid of touching or standing close to each other, Guadanigno explores the idea of latent queerness among men without the need to dissect it. There is no commentary on the sexual orientation of these characters; there is no hidden misogyny or bashing of women when Patrick and Art are in the scene. Guadanigno makes their relationship stand out by simply letting them be.
Thanks to Justin Kuritzkes’ screenplay and Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s cinematography, every conversation between Art and Patrick is erotically charged — it is truly commendable that a humble sweet treat such as a churro can add to such palpable sexual chemistry between two men talking about a woman they like.
With this, Challengers plays with the dynamics of a love triangle in a way that it critiques and corrects the trope.
Special mention: the cinematography of Challengers
The overarching theme of Challengers is tennis. And it is through tennis that we’re shown that the film is about romance, friendship, and sex.
Guadagnino’s films are synonymous with top-notch camerawork that transports the viewer to a set place and time, and Challengers is no exception.
The tension between the characters; the stress of wanting to win — whether it’s the match or the girl; the back and forth that takes the viewer on a ride between past and present is woven into the story through sport. Guadagnino’s films are synonymous with top-notch camerawork that transports the viewer to a set place and time, and Challengers is no exception. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s cinematography takes this film from a corny rom-com to a pulsating, thrilling experience, where every character’s thoughts and actions reverberate through the screen.
Challengers has entered theatres to show us that sex doesn’t always have to be shown explicitly. The film does not have many overt sex scenes; however, it always alludes to it and makes the viewer want more. The three actors have worked phenomenally with each other, making them a joy to watch on screen.
It goes without saying that Challengers is, hands down, one of the best films of 2024.
