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We can pretend that sex, carnal desire and lust are elements that are ‘unbecoming’ of good cinema, but that would not only be ignorant of the very history of this art but a way of censoring and leaving aside much of what makes stories, like ‘Challenger’, not only interesting and well brought to the big screen, but also visually and musically an impressive work and one that, as a viewer, compels you to simply and plainly, rise from your seat and give a standing ovation.
So, where did this review start? If you've seen Lucas Guadagnino's work in ‘Call me by your name’, you'll know that this director is an excellent bastion of precious, aesthetic, beautiful cinematography. And while, in this film, in ‘Challengers’, we follow a love triangle in a psychological and sporting thriller, we also witness a staging that is fantastic. From the very first scene of the film we are introduced to how this story will be told. Seriously, I appreciate the fact that what we see in the promotional trailer bears little relation to the development of the plot.
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Two childhood friends, who are also professional tennis players, one day come across the talent and imposing personality of the character played by the very talented Zendaya, and immediately fall in love and are attracted by the aura she emanates. As I said at the beginning, human qualities such as desire, obsession, disappointment or even lust are some of the elements within what we will find. A friendship that seems to come to an end and break, a woman who seems to be the villain but is much more than a stereotype and, my friends from Hive, the unquestionable power of music in this film.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, two absolute geniuses... Probably, if you like Nine Inch Nails you know who I'm talking about, but if you don't, let me tell you that they are the composers behind the incidental music in Challengers. And this film and its narrative development is impossible to understand without the spellbinding influence of the Reznor-Ross duo's compositions. Winners of the recent Golden Globe Awards for Best Score, and serious contenders in the film industry awards season. The rhythm, the euphoria and the constant representation of the symbolic can only be enhanced and understood through the work of these guys.
Let me confess that when I saw this film, I expected little from it. Not because of anything in particular or because of previous prejudices. But because the stories that are developed through sport are not usually so excellent. At least from my perspective. In ‘Challengers’, tennis is a character with its own specific weight and importance, but it is not the centre of the story. It is the means to an end. Behind it all, there is (as I mentioned) humanity in its purest and rawest state. Everything that someone like you and me could (and have) felt in similar conditions. Films that develop human conflicts with visual quality, that's all I admire and need... Challengers is a relief among so much cinematic misery.
