“Challengers”

Director Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” is a deliciously complicated film about love, rivalry, and the toll that fierce competition can take on relationships both on and off the tennis court.

The film tells the story of Tashi (Zendaya), a former tennis prodigy turned coach, and a tense love triangle between she and her husband Art (Mike Faist) and his former best friend Patrick (Josh O’Connor), who also happens to be Tashi’s ex-boyfriend. The tangled mess of love, competition, and ambition is a slow-burn exploration of how deep passion can blur the lines of friendship, love, and self-identity.

The story weaves through time, alternating between the present and flashbacks to the past. Guadagnino crafts a tense portrait of male friendship, one that is fragile and ultimately shattered by the competitive nature of the sport they share (as well as their attachment and devotion to Tashi). As a tennis prodigy, Tashi’s dreams were cut short by injury. She’s left to coach and manage the complicated relationship between Art, now on a losing streak, and Patrick, a former champion whose fall from grace is just as steep. The film turns into a complicated love story that’s equal parts steamy and tragic, as the characters wrestle with their ambitions, their identities, and what they want from one another.

What makes the film so compelling is its atmosphere and tone. Marco Costa‘s editing style is sharp and deliberate, using geometric symmetry to mirror the tennis court as a symbol of the competition between the men, while also reinforcing the emotional stakes tied to Tashi. The nonlinear storytelling works in its favor here, mirroring the unpredictability of life and competition, creating a compelling dynamic between the characters. Each frame feels carefully constructed, with moments of sudden slowdown and acceleration that draw out the emotional tension and power struggles in the narrative.

Zendaya is terrific as Tashi, owning the screen with a quiet intensity that makes her the emotional anchor of the film. Her character’s internal conflict of being torn between two men who both want her (but also need her to fuel their competitive fires) is portrayed with a genuine knowing.

The themes at play are multifaceted, showing how a rivalry can eventually lead to an unhealthy obsession. Sacrifices are made for success, and sometimes love can rear its ugly head when it becomes conditional rather than authentic and earned. There is a lot going on here thematically, and the complexities are expressed so well.

“Challengers” is less about the sport of tennis and more about what happens when love, rivalry, and ambition collide. This is a story about the cost of desire, the toll of competition, and the way we define ourselves by the people we love and the passions we chase.

By: Louisa Moore