Luca Guadagnino serves up a captivating and seductive game of drama and deception in “Challengers.”
Tennis prodigy turned coach, Tashi (Zendaya), plots a comeback for her professional tennis player husband (Mike Faist), landing him face to face against his former best friend and her former lover (Josh O’Connor).
Although “Challengers” may be Guardagnino’s most commercial work to date, he manages to whip up another captivating, narrative-filled, and juicy drama with even juicier performances.
Faist, O’Connor and Zendaya each tackle fractured individuals, fueled by ambition, ego, and their obsession with tennis (and also, each other).
Whether they’re at each other’s throats or sharing a phallic-looking churro, they all have pitch perfect chemistry. However, at the end of the day, “Challengers” is Zendaya’s grand slam.
Zendaya’s ferocious performance as the icy and manipulative Tashi is a brilliant showcase of her talents. I remain utterly fascinated by her character and what makes her tick. She is vicious yet tender. It’s something only a talent like Zendaya can display in such an effortless way. She doesn’t just seduce Faist and O’Connor’s characters — she seduces the entire audience.
And man, the real winners are us — the viewers.
“Challengers” is drenched with sweat, sexuality, scandal and electricity. The film’s kinetic cinematography, pulse-pounding score and biting screenplay create an engrossing and entertaining onscreen experience.
I was absolutely glued to the screen – and dancing in my seat, because Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score slaps THAT HARD.
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