Challengers

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Challengers [2024]

Starring: Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O'Connor

Direction: Luca Guadagnino

Language: English

 I admit it: it has been ages. But in a saga of Ramadan, last weeks of school and A-Level exams, I have been too busy to watch anything new: choosing instead to watch some old favorites (I love myself some 'Love in the Afternoon'). But, after I heard about Challengers, I knew that this movie was the exception. In Dubai, there is often significant censorship of any content which is even mildly 'impressionable': as such, I was surprised that this movie was even showing in theaters. Even though I saw a version that was quite clearly edited down, something is better than nothing. 

Let's talk about the plot: it's been a long time since I've seen a romance plot with this much heat. I have seen relaxed rom-coms which are comforting in their own way, but this movie was intense in the best way. Maybe it was because of the nature of the plot: any movie about sport will have an inherently physical quality to it, and so maybe that helped create a feel of physical tension. Guadagino did a brilliant job which exploring the heat between the main characters - and honestly it was the way the cameras were positioned that was one of the movie's greatest strengths. There were times where I felt like I was in the same room with the characters - and that was the result of not only a gripping storyline but perfect execution. I may not have seen the more physical parts of the movie, but what I saw was enough I think. Generally, the chemistry between all the characters was outstanding - this movie packed quite the punch.

I also thought the way the movie was structured was very clever: the way the storyline bounced between present and past added levels of complexity in a way that was pretty new for me to see. There is an appeal with seeing movies with a linear story progression, but in a movie that was this fast-paced, the constant change in time period worked very well. It was at times a little jarring to be abruptly taken from one year to another, but for the most part it was pretty seamless. 

Now, let's talk about the general look of the movie. Zendaya and Mike Faist looked good - that's all I'm going to say. I saw Faist in West Side Story, where he almost resembled a twig, but in this he looked like a completely different character - I loved the way he was styled. Zendaya looks flawless in everything she does, and this movie was no exception for sure. Her look as a dominant, sharp character was reflected through the styling of her character: her hair was always in place and flawless, and her outfits screamed elegance and poise. 

It was just a generally thrilling watch, and a perfect distraction from my A-Levels which start tomorrow! (Pray for my Economics grade). 


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