Challengers is a film about obsession, a love story presented in a manner that mirrors the sport at the center of its narrative; fierce, kinetic, and competitive, but also indescribably intimate. The film is transgressive in many ways, challenging the spectator to think differently about love and desire by presenting protagonists who don't neatly fit into the romantic or erotic mold Hollywood has presented us with over the past several decades. Through these singular characters, director Luca Guadagnino achieves something unique: a perspective on the inherent push and pull of relationships that is so heightened it throws into stark contrast the dark desires we all harbor. This extremely niche story, therefore, becomes a kind of commentary on what love makes of all of us: fanatics.
The film isn't only resonant thematically; as usual, Guadagnino's direction is a tour de force of exciting choices that push his actors to the limits of expression, presented to us against the backdrop of visually arresting aesthetics. The standout performances are definitely those of Zendaya and Josh O'Connor, but all three protagonists have an intense, seductive chemistry with one another that reads as so authentic, so fervent, so genuine, that the love scenes (which really only extend to kissing) caught me off guard. For those two hours, I believed these people (in some configuration) were in love, which is a crucial buy-in for the audience.
I hesitate to call this an "erotic thriller" because that phrase brings to mind softcore hits that cater to the male gaze like Species (1995) but I think it's an apt description, and Challengers shows us what this genre can be in the right hands. Finally, the score by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Boys Noize is not only fantastic (as everyone is rightfully noting) but it is so integral to the mood and pacing of the film that it almost becomes another protagonist, especially in the genuinely riveting conclusion. That sequence may be one of the best uses of a score I've seen in a film in a very long time.
I can't recommend this movie highly enough to anyone who enjoys movies. Please go see it!
The film isn't only resonant thematically; as usual, Guadagnino's direction is a tour de force of exciting choices that push his actors to the limits of expression, presented to us against the backdrop of visually arresting aesthetics. The standout performances are definitely those of Zendaya and Josh O'Connor, but all three protagonists have an intense, seductive chemistry with one another that reads as so authentic, so fervent, so genuine, that the love scenes (which really only extend to kissing) caught me off guard. For those two hours, I believed these people (in some configuration) were in love, which is a crucial buy-in for the audience.
I hesitate to call this an "erotic thriller" because that phrase brings to mind softcore hits that cater to the male gaze like Species (1995) but I think it's an apt description, and Challengers shows us what this genre can be in the right hands. Finally, the score by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Boys Noize is not only fantastic (as everyone is rightfully noting) but it is so integral to the mood and pacing of the film that it almost becomes another protagonist, especially in the genuinely riveting conclusion. That sequence may be one of the best uses of a score I've seen in a film in a very long time.
I can't recommend this movie highly enough to anyone who enjoys movies. Please go see it!