Watched: 4th May 2024
Rating: 4/5 stars
–
I had concerns that this would not live up to the hype, but I loved every second of Challengers. To be fair, the only other film of Luca Guadagnino’s that I have seen is Call Me By Your Name, so there was a long shadow to escape, but both films feel quite different to me. Challengers especially feels much more intense, in terms of both what is at stake and how its emotions are portrayed. It almost made me sad, seeing how Tashi, Patrick, and Art go from happy-go-lucky teenagers with little real cares in the world to these three adults so intrinsically defined by their relationship with their sport that they all just veer between robotic focus and bouts of wild, unrestrained indulgence. They are a trio whose connection ultimately doesn’t seem healthy for any of them, but who cannot escape the bonds that bind them together. What makes the drama so compelling is how different they each are – Tashi with her hyper-focus, embodied so well by Zendaya, Art’s laissez-faire swagger (Josh O’Connor did a really good job of making me dislike him), and Patrick pulled from pillar to post between them. This was a very sexy film, made all the more impactful by how incredible the soundtrack was. I found myself on tenterhooks while watching the match scenes, as if I were watching a tennis game in real life. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross should commend themselves for a job very well done.
–
Originally posted on Letterboxd on 15th May 2024: https://boxd.it/6pqm6b