Challengers

 

This movie was absolutely wild and I loved it. I already can’t wait to see it again. I also suddenly want to take up tennis. I had a lot of friends who really enjoyed this film, so going into the theatre I already had high hopes, and my expectations were exceeded.




Challengers is stunning, it is such a beautifully shot film. This film was directed by one of my favourite directors Luca Guadagnino who has also directed movies like Call Me By Your Name and Bones and All. I knew this was going to be a good movie but I didn't know much about the plot. I think this is my new favourite of his films.




I loved all the plot twists. This film is so dramatic and you really could never predict what was going to happen next. I liked the timeline and how the acts were set up in context with the match sets. I don’t usually like the whole back-and-forth timeline that is jumping all over the place, but this movie did it so well. The music is also really fun in this film, very hyper pop electronic type of music. It was almost silly, but I enjoyed it. I think it was used in very smart ways to enhance the tennis scenes. Guadagnino's films always have a terrific use of music that I really admire. 




Zendaya was incredible, this is my favourite performance of hers. Her character is so crazy. I liked Tashi but I also didn’t know if I was supposed to love her or hate her. She is a terrible person, yet you still want to root for her to succeed. She is so selfish and is completely using Art Donaldson to live her career vicariously through him, which in turn destroys him. However, you also feel bad for her and the loss she has faced losing tennis in her life.




Art Donaldson was probably my favourite character. There is a charisma and quirkiness to his character that is really fun to watch. He is portrayed by Mike Faist, who I last saw on the big screen in West Side Story. I think both Faist and Josh O’Connor pleasantly surprised me. I of course knew Zendaya and really went mostly because of her being in the lead role, but these two really killed it as well.





Overall, I really enjoyed this film and will be seeing it again and again. This is the first sports film that I have seen that is this stylistic and beautiful. I have watched a lot of sports films over the years, but nothing like this one. It has a unique plot, an incredible cast, and was very well executed. I can’t wait to see what Zendaya and Luca Guadagnino do next in their careers. I’d love to see some Oscars buzz for this film.