Challengers

Even more incredible on a rewatch. Seeing this in a Dolby theatre with the fantastic sound crashing all around me was so wonderful. Rezner and Ross’ score is so sleek and sexy with its club EDM vibe. Every little bit of sound was so crunchy and crisp. I loved it. It made certain sound cues hit even harder, like a very specific churro crunch and the bone break not too long afterwards. Seeing it a second time just made it even clearer how different the individual one-on-one relationships between characters are from one another. Tashi and Patrick are volatile but equal. Patrick and Art are intimate but guarded. Art and Tashi have a deep understanding and appreciation but an underlying fear. It makes the final moments of the film so juicy and delicious to watch, especially seeing how Guadagnino highlights these differences in relationship through visual and audio quirks for each pairing that are unique to the relationship being shown. Patrick and Art’s wide, panning flats. Tashi and Patrick’s flat shot/reverse shots. Art and Tashi’s very specific kind of over-the-shoulder shots and carefully placed insert shots. Everything is so deliberate and careful without ever diminishing the energy. I can’t wait to rewatch this film again.