Game Changers.
5 / 5
Directed by Luca Guadagnino.
Tashi, a former tennis prodigy turned coach is married to a champion on a losing streak. Her strategy for her husband's redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend.
A thrilling game of power dynamics is played on and off the tennis court in the entrancing Challengers.
Zendaya, Josh O’Connor & Mike Faist give showstopping performances as the central trio. From the very first scene each of their characters fights for approval, acceptance and respect of each other and those around them, all desperate to come out on top.
O'Connor and Faist play best friends whose relationship is forever changed by the arrival of Zendaya's Tashi. What begins as an innocent love triangle quickly evolves into something far more complex as its impact begins to bleed into their careers as well as their livelihoods.
Luca Guadagnino continues his diverse filmography with his most confident film yet. What he and cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom achieve shows that they are in total control of their craft. Not only do they shoot the most intense games of tennis you will ever experience but they take that visual thread and weave it throughout every scene - where arguments and intense dialogue scenes play out with the stakes of the Wimbledon final.
Accompanied by a pulsing score by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Challengers is energetic, sexy and demands your attention. It's not only Guadagnino’s best project to date but will no doubt be one of 2024’s strongest and most commanding films.
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