Challengers is an utterly compelling film driven by three brilliant performances. It follows three tennis stars whose personal and professional lives intersect and clash over the course of a decade or so, leading to drama on and off the court.
From a story perspective I think this film is really strong. The complex relationships between the three characters are fascinating to watch play out, and are made all the more better due to the fantastic performances. Zendaya is a force to be reckoned with, commanding the screen effortlessly. Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor are just as compelling with such gripping and engaging performances. Individually they are all superb, but really it is the chemistry between these three that sets this film alight. The whole thing is an absolute tinder box of sexual energy and competitive tension that makes for a truly absorbing picture. There's an inherent unpredictability baked into this film which makes it a real treat.
Luca Guadagnino undeniably gets the characterisation spot on, but I think he falls down in a few other areas.
The narrative structure of the film is a little messy. The non-linear story telling was a good choice, but the execution wasn't quite spot on, interrupting the flow a little too much at times. I also think the direction was a little hit and miss. Guadagnino is brilliant at creating sexual tension and chemistry in this film, and there is a really effective use of sound and music. Large portions of the film are also shot really well and look very attractive. However the overindulgent slow mo tennis shots and creative shooting of the matches missed the mark for me, which is surprising for Guadagnino whose films I always think look beautiful. This isn't necessarily a huge issue, but it's a very conspicuous one.
Overall though this film is really absorbing. The characters and performances are just so good and it oozes with sexual tension and style.
From a story perspective I think this film is really strong. The complex relationships between the three characters are fascinating to watch play out, and are made all the more better due to the fantastic performances. Zendaya is a force to be reckoned with, commanding the screen effortlessly. Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor are just as compelling with such gripping and engaging performances. Individually they are all superb, but really it is the chemistry between these three that sets this film alight. The whole thing is an absolute tinder box of sexual energy and competitive tension that makes for a truly absorbing picture. There's an inherent unpredictability baked into this film which makes it a real treat.
Luca Guadagnino undeniably gets the characterisation spot on, but I think he falls down in a few other areas.
The narrative structure of the film is a little messy. The non-linear story telling was a good choice, but the execution wasn't quite spot on, interrupting the flow a little too much at times. I also think the direction was a little hit and miss. Guadagnino is brilliant at creating sexual tension and chemistry in this film, and there is a really effective use of sound and music. Large portions of the film are also shot really well and look very attractive. However the overindulgent slow mo tennis shots and creative shooting of the matches missed the mark for me, which is surprising for Guadagnino whose films I always think look beautiful. This isn't necessarily a huge issue, but it's a very conspicuous one.
Overall though this film is really absorbing. The characters and performances are just so good and it oozes with sexual tension and style.