Challengers (2024)

Language : English

Director : Luca Guadagnino

Writers : Justin Kuritzkes

Cast : Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor, Zendaya

Genre : Drama | Romance | Sport | Comedy

Imdb: Challengers (2024)

Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers about the nature and theme of the film.

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“Tashi Duncan: I’m taking such good care of my little white boys.”

Things which you can’t comprehend/digest/agree exist in the world. Whether you like it or not. There exist universes outside your head, near locality, what you have seen so far and what you have experienced so far. This is true for all of us. If you are curious enough you will get to see what it means to understand what a very few can understand or digest. Agreeing is a different part altogether. But to possibly imagine a weird reality.. that many people live every day, is not for everyone.

I personally am a huge fan of Tennis films (Match Point by Woody Allen, King Richard by Reinaldo Marcus Green) and Sports Films (Air, Rush, Moneyball, Jerry Maguire, Rocky, Ford V Ferrari, Jersey, MS Dhoni, Goal 1, Goal 2 and a lot more). This one is the best film I watched in 2024 and certainly very high up on the list of sports films I have watched over the years. Challengers has a higher pace or tension compared to the usual sports films, and the peak intensity is similar to Rush, Match Point and Ford V Ferrari. The film is high-octane in terms of the tension it builds and releases at various points exceedingly well.

Getting back to the Film, its sound, tracks, cinematography, and writing are all world-class. There is a huge “issue” with this film. It’s very polarising. There are 3 main characters. No single proper protagonist. Everyone is the main character, everyone is the hero and everyone is the villain. There are no saints or devils in this movie. All are flawed, although many would side with the Character Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and by normal conventions you could pass him off as the protagonist. But there’s a huge challenge to that thought process; this is no normal mainstream movie and it will crush the hopes and dreams of mainstream film audiences if they think predictably. Zendaya as Tashi Duncan and Josh O’Connor as Patrick Zweig run the show. Mike Faist easily keeps up with the Duo. 

The film is presented in a nonlinear narrative. Plot-wise the film proceeds in a very similar way to Rush, in which there is a strong rivalry shown in the film. The competitiveness, exhilaration, tension, pressure and high stakes are all a joy to watch. The tension is the main element in the film, especially how well it’s built up and released at various points in the movie over many years in the timeline. The intelligent writing in the film also needs to be heralded. The attention to detail is top-notch, many minute details are shown in the film and expressed through dialogues and we later see those details being executed in real life in the film. You can witness the brilliance if you didn’t blink the first time and if you didn’t forget the details. The ending sequence is absolutely brilliant from a filmmaking point of view and I won’t divulge more about it. The non-verbal communication in the film is absolutely brilliant and it speaks a lot when they are chosen over dialogues in various settings.

P.S,
I also need to praise the sound design once more, you need to watch this film with great audio systems in place. All the action on and off the field and tension is built with a lot of help and support from the audio, it’s absolutely brilliant and super effective. You need to experience this film with a great audio system. It’s a very immersive experience.

Coming back to the beginning of this review: This film deals with the lives of 3 Tennis Prodigies who are all ultra-high performers (atleast at one stage in their lives). There is nothing ordinary about their lives, their sacrifices, and what extent they will go to achieve their dreams or goals. Morality is an after-thought, if it’s being thought of.. or is being considered. Many people won’t be able to digest the actions, intents or motives behind the 3 main characters or even understand them. That’s completely fine. This film is a bit hard to watch for most of the audience, that’s the intended effect. It’s not a pure entertainer. It’s a disturbing and unsettling film, which plays with tension most of its runtime and it’s very honest in being itself and not trying to become something else for the sake of comforting others or pleasing a large audience. It stays original to its soul. It’s an exploration of sorts. It’s a thrilling journey for its characters and the filmmaker. And for people who are looking for something brilliant yet different.

“For about fifteen seconds there, we were actually playing tennis. And we understood each other completely. So did everyone watching. It’s like we were in love.” – Tashi Duncan.

Verdict : 6/7 stars