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“It wasn’t even like tennis, it was an entirely different game.” –Art Donaldson

Zendaya fans, we have waited patiently for a film worthy of Zendaya’s fame, beauty, and talent, and guess what? It is finally here. The Euphoria actress has come a long way from her Disney Channel days as she makes her first official foray into cinema as a full-fledged adult. And it is a doozy. Challengers is a sweat-drenched, heated, complex banger. From its killer techno music, ingenious camera work, and outstanding lead performances by Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist, Challengers is easily one of the hottest movie of the year. 

Challengers follows tennis buddies Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) and Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) as their friendship is tested when they meet rising star Tashi Duncan (Zendaya). The duo are known for their boisterous friendship and compatible gameplay as duo partners, dubbed Fire and Ice, but they are still rivals. Tashi is Naomi Osaka and Coco Grauff-coded as a young Black woman building a promising career and brand for herself. The trouble for all three begins when Patrick insists on watching the rising star play at the Junior Open, where they both watch her in her element and promptly fall for her. Challengers moves back and forth through 13 years, exploring how this throuple’s relationship evolved and devolved over time and what it means to meet again at a random Challenger game in New Rochelle, New York.

From the onset, fans of Luca Guadagnino have been clamouring for this film because of the possibility of overt queerness in the narrative and characters. Rest assured, it’s there, from the characters themselves to their choices, whether conscious or not; the film relies on the idea that this is not your typical heteronormative love triangle. However, Challengers is so uniquely attractive that the story is not just about Tashi’s little white boys getting with the hottest woman they have ever seen; Justin Kuritzkes’s screenplay is far more layered and complex for that oversimplified narrative trope. His script explores the emotional and mental state of these driven athletes who do not align on how they see their respective careers, the sport they love, and their place in the world. However, their relationship is not a random occurrence; their common interest, tennis, is what brings them together. Unlike any other sport, tennis, as Tashi explains, is about your relationship with the person opposite you. Whether Patrick and Art know it, they are deeply connected. Due to their shared love of tennis, they are in a relationship, which makes this situation with Tashi delightfully messy.

Long before the release of this film, many have already claimed that this would be one of Zendaya’s finest performances, but with a filmography as scarce as hers, that isn’t much of a stretch. That said, Zendaya is phenomenal as Tashi Duncan. Flawed, abrasive, bitchy and passionate, Tashi is a dynamic character. Zendaya’s charismatic presence, expressive face and curated appearance make Tashi even more intriguing. In someone else’s hands, whatever sympathy the audience feels for Tashi would not exist as Zendaya carefully navigates the minefield that is Tashi to create a character that is impossible to hate yet not easy to root for.

Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist have fun trading their Fire and Ice persona, as the gag is that neither is totally one or the other. They work well to build a fragile yet sturdy, loving yet platonic relationship. The subtlety of their sexuality is beautifully portrayed by the way they act in each other’s presence and when their decisions force them apart. The absence from each other’s lives has a profound impact that the two actors ensure the audience feels. Between the two, O’Connor spearheads the bi-curious agenda. Faist is steadfast as the typical love interest whose intentions read purer than their romantic rival, though both actors portray the longing and obsessiveness they each feel for Tashi.

Challengers is electrifying. Luca Guadagnino’s direction is energetic, defying expectations of how to capture a sports-driven movie on the screen. He blends the tumultuous relationship between our characters seamlessly with their shared passion for tennis in a way that constantly has the audience on the edge of their seats. The point is never who wins the game, but what will they do next? What will they say, and how will they say it? Adding to the anticipation is Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ perfect score, the electric heavy synth music jumping into the film at all the right moments.

Challengers was not crafted to be your typical love triangle drama; it is not filmed linearly; the audience is meant to flex their mental muscles to read between the lines and interpret their motivations through what they are saying and how. The film is edited and designed precisely to evoke the visceral feeling of playing tennis; as our characters are literally volleying the ball back and forth on the court, they are volleying their emotions. Challengers is different from what it seems on paper; Tashi’s relationship with Art and Patrick does not work out how you think. Subtext supersedes exposition, so Challengers is a gamble in the current landscape of cinema.

However, Guadagnino’s gamble pays off thanks to his exemplary cast, who help defy the basic rules of a love triangle by not falling into stereotypical trappings. The thrill comes from how our characters communicate who they are through what they say, how they say it and what they wear. Additionally, we have the joy of watching these actors express so much with just their faces. Folks, we have some all-caps ACTORS on screen. It’s been some time since a movie has captivated audiences so much based solely on a character-driven narrative. However, it is no surprise that at the epicentre of the Challengers storm is Zendaya, a true force to be reckoned with.

Challengers is now playing in theatres.