This is one of the most enticing films directed by Luca Guadagnino that I have ever seen. Challengers is a film whichtests tensions and favoritism to the absolute maximum. Tennis and relationships are explored hand in hand throughout the film.  The story centers around Zendaya, she is one of the main competitors. The film focuses on competition for both a tennis championship and the attention of Zendaya. Challengers does not only push itself in terms of its mental suspense, but it is also remains on point in having its audience think about the rules of tennis and what it takes to make it to the big leagues. With its two male stars, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor, the heat is truly on in Challengers.

The film begins in 2019. Art Donaldson (played by Faist) is a successful tennis player in a loving relationship with Tashi Donaldson (played by Zendaya). They live a life of success, commercialism, and many rankings in tennis championships. His competitor (also a long-term friend on odd terms) is Patrick Zweig (played by Josh O’Connor). Zweig is one who keeps hitting or missing in tennis competitions. He keeps finding himself in financial despair and frustration. They are all connected though, as the film jumps to the era before the hot mess began. Art and Patrick were good friends, and Tashi was one they were obsessed with. They all became very close to the point where they were all madly in love with each other. However, it is clear that the distraction and attention for Tashi also is the key to their performance on the court. Both have always had goals and ambitions to impress Tashi. With all of that, the lines get blurred for success on the court for Art and Patrick.

The film goes into a pattern where the younger days were ones of success and young love between all three individuals. As the film progresses, the competition of tennis only gets more complex and mentally challenging, because both Art and Patrick want to be great. On top of that, they all want to be in one fulfilling and loving relationship with Tashi. Tashi had gone pro but sustained an injury and has limitations. It fueled Art and Patrick to be competitive with each other in the rankings and wins throughout their tennis career. Guadagnino focuses in-depth on their clear aggravations, mentality, egos and persistence. Challengers is a daring sportsmanship experience that will stress its audience to the max with its adrenaline.

With all the turmoil and detrimental thinking among the three characters, carrying from their younger days to their current lives, they build a relationship of confusion where love, tennis, and lust lead to destruction. The film’s continuity and wicked suspense wraps around winning the love of Tashi. This element creates a layer of disconnect. Challengers draws a picture where growth has wins, losses, jealousy and halts in success–all enthralling key points in Challengers.

The relationships and thoughts of the individuals in the film made me start to think of Guadagnino’s masterpiece Call Me by Your Name. Although these are separate types of films when it comes to relationships, there is a layer of writing where his work shines brightly. His directing is one that conveys that his characters are irritated or upset, and it is keen on making surethat audiences know it. Guadagnino’s direction of leading his audience think about soul-searching in Challengers goes into many directions. Who has more faith? Who is a better man for Tashi? Why do these individuals tolerate each other’s nonsense so much?  Challengers has continuous elements of intense anddetrimental stress in its characterizations—the stressors do not stop and make the competitive nature of this film even more mesmerizing.

A boiling and athletic ride of anxiety, this film takes a deep dive into egotistical minds. Tashi is all that matters to Art and Patrick and infidelities that occur go down the path of benefiting one over the other on the tennis court. Challengers has tons of moving parts that will make its audience keep wanting to think thoroughly and precisely. It is a duel for a championship and much more. The question is who is the true champion and the one that loves Tashi the most? Is it Art or Patrick? Find out in Challengers. Four stars.