Challengers (2024)

Two teenagers (Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist) win a boys junior tennis double at the U.S. Open. But they both become infatuated with a rising tennis star (Zendaya). The film follows the complex relationship between the three of them for the next 13 years. Directed by Luca Guadagnino (CALL ME BY YOUR NAME). A challenging examination of three complicated individuals who love each other and at times hate each other. Set against the background of professional tennis, you don't have to be a sports or tennis enthusiast to get pulled into its circle. I'm not a sports person though fortunately tennis is about the only sport that interests me. While the two male characters are not gay, there's a definite homoerotic vibe between the two of them that's touched on but not explored. The three leads are just wonderful, capturing every nuance of their entangled interrelationship and Guadagnino squeezes every bit of energy and sensuality he can get out of his players onto the screen. With Darnell Appling and Nada Despotovich.