Movie Review: Challengers

While some may contest whether his new film – Challengers – is, in fact, director Luca Guadagnino’s best film, it is undeniable that this is, simply put, a great film.

Challengers stars Zendaya as a former tennis prodigy named Tashi Duncan who, after a brutal injury ends her career, turns to coaching and while serving as such for her husband – Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), himself a tennis champion, though currently besought by a losing streak – orchestrates a final confrontation between Art and his former friend and rival for Tashi’s affections, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor). As the two old friends face each other in the most important match of their lives, their troubled relationship plays out as flashbacks between sets.

Director Luca Guadagnino – perhaps previously best known Suspiria (2019) and Call Me by Your Name (2017) – proves a formidable directorial force with his command of the material here. There is never a moment wherein one feels that the filmmaker is not in control of all aspects of the production. Although proceedings may take some time to play out, that is completely by design and proves even more effective for it. Meanwhile, screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes delivers an incredibly well structured and layered feature debut. The character and narrative nuances are present throughout and lend themselves well to Guadagnino’s approach.

Although it would be tempting to credit Zendaya with carrying the weight of the film herself, it is the relationship between O’Connor and Donaldson that serves as the emotional center of the film. These friends were such long before Tashi entered their lives and the rivalry for her affection and approval is central to the disintegration of their relationship and its inevitable rebuild. As a result, it is both O’Connor and Faist that deserve the most praise for infusing the film with a camaraderie that transcends all other forces. At its heart, this is a story about the friendship between these two men and their individual abilities to come to terms with and reconcile that.

Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor in “Challengers.” Photo by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures – © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The haunting, and sometime ominous, music courtesy of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross seems to suggest throughout that not only is something terrible lurking right around the corner, but that there is little that anyone can do to prevent the inevitably tragic outcome. It is a testament to the filmmakers that the proceedings play out without completely devastating the viewer. Key among these traits proves to be the editing of Marco Costa, who manages to skip between timelines without losing the narrative thread or jumbling the plot beyond repair.

Overall, Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers emerges as a tour de force effort from a filmmaker who has been hinting at such for a while now. One thing is for sure, it raises the bar for the director’s next outing even higher.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com

An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

@miketyrkus

Mike Tyrkus

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