By Vittoria Vignolo
If you are interested in romantic movies, but also are passionate about sports, this might be the movie for you!
Challengers (2024) catches the perfect balance of romantic tension and competitiveness between the three main protagonists, who are all passionate about tennis and compete in different tournaments.
Challengers is directed by Luca Guadagnino, also known for movies like Bones And All and Call Me By Your Name.
By the history of his filmmaking, we can see his ability in exploring human relationships and power dynamics between these relationships as Challengers perfectly describes the interconnection and relationship between the three lead characters: Tashi (Zendaya), Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor).
The fact that the movie includes three main characters shows Guadagnino’s ability to balance the presence and dynamics of the characters.
Challengers is a romance and sport movie that follows the story of Tashi and her husband Art , who is an acclaimed grand slam champion, but is recently on a losing streak.
To get him out of this situation, Tashi convinces Art to play in the Challengers event, where he faces his old friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend, Patrick.
The structure of this film is very interesting because it develops over a nonlinear narrative, mimicking a tennis match of three sets.
The entirety of the movie develops over the course of the three sets of the final match, while simultaneously analysing the past relationship between the two friends Art and Patrick and how they meet Tashi, up until the moment when the winner of the challengers is revealed.
Each set represents a different period of the characters’ lives, from the early days when Tashi was a famous tennis player, up until when she got injured and was forced to stop pursuing her dream.
The film alternates between flashbacks and present scenes, allowing viewers to explore the characters’ pasts and personalities while observing how the future of these players unfolds.
This non-linear structure is particularly interesting because it allows the viewer to be fully engaged with the storyline, while keeping the narrative unpredictable, just like a tennis match.
Moreover, the analogy permits the audience to build up the tension up until the last scene, when the winner of the game is announced.
One particularly striking aspect of the movie is the dynamic between the two male leads. Both characters are incredibly enthusiastic and passionate about tennis, each showing their love for the sport in different ways. As former best friends from college, they have a very deep understanding of each other’s personalities and playing styles. This fact enhances the tension when it comes to the last scenes of the movie because it builds up a sense of suspense that leaves the audience with tension.
Guadagnino goes deep into the characters’ personalities, unravelling their insecurities and indirectly, as the film comes to an end. This is a very interesting aspect because you can understand all sides of the story just by analysing and looking into each one of the characters.
As well as perfectly delivering the scenes, the actors all had that “professional chemistry” that allowed the viewer to fully comprehend the power dynamics between the characters in the story.
I find that this movie is a great combination of adrenaline and tension, that portrays both the dynamics of romantic relationships and the dynamics of friendships. I really recommend this movie for everyone who loves sports, but with a spicy twist!