Challengers

Luca Guadagnino, you have outdone yourself. This is such an awesome movie. I adore how it’s filmed so much, the direction and cinematography are both absolutely top tier. Now I don’t love many sports movies but I don’t know if I’ve watched many other sports movies that sum up being an elite athlete the way this one does. I felt for all three of them the entire film, not only for the events of their careers but also for the relationship between all three characters. Something people often fail to acknowledge is that sport and intimacy go hand in hand. That might sound crazy but I’ve seen so many people impacted by intimacy that has been a byproduct of their sport both within and beyond it. All three performances in this are just so good too. Zendaya is truly at her best, I’ve never enjoyed a performance from her as much as I enjoyed this. The boys were great too, Mike Faist plays one of the lamest pick me losers I’ve seen in a while but he does it so well that I actually enjoyed his character. Very impressed. I also just love how the love triangle was a true love triangle. I’m convinced Patrick loved Art, Art loved Tashi, and Tashi loved Patrick, my mind will not be changed. The subtlety of Patrick’s feelings for Art is so well portrayed that I can’t overlook it. What a great film, this makes me so excited for what’s to come for the rest of 2024, Luca Guadagnino, and all the actors involved.