Now that ‘Challengers’ has surpassed ‘Call Me By Your Name,’ becoming Luca Guadagnino’s highest-grossing film domestically, we can’t help but discuss what it is about Guadagnino’s stories that delivers exactly what we crave in a film.
On this occasion, the director confirmed that he is an expert in coming-of-age narratives with unexpected romantic twists.
For this film, Luca collaborated with Justin Kuritzkes, bringing to the big screen a challenging story that blends sports with an impeccable techno soundtrack, skillful camera movements that make us feel like a tennis ball, and the excellent performances of Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor.
So here are a few reasons why ‘Challengers’ had us at the edge of our seats, and don’t worry! We’ve avoided spoilers so you can read peacefully.
Zendaya, Mike Faist & Josh O’Connor
Teamwork creates top-tier cinema! And there is certainly chemistry, as the film primarily focuses on a love triangle between Tashi (Zendaya), Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor).
There’s an impressive tension between the characters, two young tennis prospects who meet Tashi, a star player who has both friends drooling over her as they begin an intense connection on and off the court. Guadagnino and Kuritzkes manage to involve tennis and use it as an excellent metaphor to explain the sexual tension and dynamics among these three athletes.
Tennis is used as a vehicle to explain platonic relationships, desire, and even the introspective exploration of the characters’ sexual identity.
Also, in preparation for their roles, Zendaya, Faist, and O’Connor spent three months training with pro-tennis player-turned-coach Brad Gilbert.
Passion and desire play a significant role in this film, as everything revolves around the matching point of the game, not without first telling us the long history of love and the backstory of this dispute for attention, fame, money, and ESPECIALLY victory. But… are we still talking about tennis? Anyways. Great day for bisexual people.
Photography
We’ve seen it in Suspiria and especially in ‘Call Me By Your Name‘, starring Timothee Chalamet. Luca Guadagnino knows perfectly how to visualize an aesthetic and bring it to his films. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, the cinematographer, turns us into a tennis ball traveling from scene to scene, leaving us on the edge of our seats. And we don’t need to know much about tennis or be fans of the sport to understand that we are part of the game.
“I was completely ignorant about tennis,” he said. Perhaps that’s why he was able to envision unique shots, like one that is below the net, or another where the camera is the ball, giving a spinning view as it hurtles across the court.” Guadagnino told the NY Times.
Challengers, Luca Guadagnino (2024) pic.twitter.com/fVYAEvwTEo
— IVERSØN 🇵🇸 (@tom_444__) April 28, 2024
The cinematography not only perfectly captures a late 90s aesthetic but also transports us to the era in which it is set, 2006, through its colors as it was filmed in a Kodak 35mm format, which has become Guadagnino’s trademark.
“With the intimacy of their relationship, the entanglement of these three characters, and their psychology: that energy, that intimacy had to be brought onto the tennis court, and the camera had to witness that intimacy,” Guadagnino said. Challengers gives us shots from a glass floor that allows us to see the protagonists suspended in the air, close-ups, and lots, LOTS of sweat.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack plays an outstanding role in the film as it brings techno to stimulate the audience on a journey of suspense, sexual tension, and above all, sporting competitiveness The rhythms coordinate each racket stroke, each intense gaze, the sweaty and shaky close-ups. The Italian director transported us to a techno vibe that simply makes us feel like we’ve been struck by an electric bolt.
No thoughts, just Challengers soundtrack pic.twitter.com/JeWwLdHIMZ
— 𖤐 Bri 𖤐 (@BriAnimator_) April 29, 2024
The music was composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and it was inspired by Berlin techno and ’90s rave music. As the pair had previously worked for Guadagnino, he sent an email that read, “Do you want to be on my next film? It’s going to be super sexy.” And it was, indeed, very much sexy. Who could have thought techno could be so fitting?
So there you have it. Challengers is not only a great movie because of its story, but also because of all the elements that make it up. And if you’re still not convinced, here’s the trailer.
Who do you think will win… the game? And how about Zendaya’s love?
