I can't lie I got the vibe from the film that Tashi was channeling her perfectionist nature for tennis into coaching art because she didn't know how to function romantically without tennis
Honestly I think the only reason why Tashi “picked” Art is because of his admiration of her skill (not her in general) he speaks to her as if she is above him which cements that dynamic of Tashi being superior in their relationship. He also kept repeating “who wouldn’t want a woman like you” (can’t remember the line but something like that) and it just shows the pedestal he immediately places her on. The only reason why she kept him and why she stayed with him all those years was to have someone to vicariously live through and someone that still views her as the amazing, invigorating and passionate tennis player that she used to be
ugh you’re so real! I think Tashi also felt insecure about being lovable and someone accepting her for her obsessive love and prioritization of tennis. I think she wanted someone who admired her skill and also who genuinely liked her and made her feel worthy of the love and admiration she was used to getting
i watched this movie 4 times and i still can't get enough of it. it's the subtle acting, the score, the story and camera work that just makes it perfect to me
He has no purpose. You must learn to ignore him. By responding, you are giving him something he will never get in real life. People like this exist until nature filters them out. That will be decades from now.
i´ve only been this invested while watching a piece of media three times in my life: the first time watching the social network, while watching challengers and while watching this video.
I'm not gonna lie, I am so curious as to why Patrick is the poorest out of everyone after 13 years, especially knowing from the little clues that were dropped that he had the most money out of everyone. Because when Tashi yelled at him to stop this down-on-his-luck tennis player and stop pretending to be poor, it made me wonder what if he’s not pretending, and he actually is poor. Which I found really interesting, and I have two thoughts in relation to it. Did his parents truly not care about their son enough to honestly check up on him in the past 13 years? Like did his mother just suddenly pretend like she never had a son for the past 13 years. Which then I’m like okay, so they don’t love or care about their son for him just being their son, but they still very much care about their wealth and their status and reputation, which falls to Patrick(as we don’t know if he has siblings) and so you would think, they would have checked in on him or just at the very least sent him money as to know that their only son isn’t dead somewhere and can possible ruin the family name. ( I mean they sent their son to a boarding school, so they do care about their reputation to some extent) This then makes me question if in the past 13 years did Patrick TRY and talk to them and got rejected or cut-off, or did they tell him he had to give up tennis or something and come work for the family business (or even was a little homophobic 😗, as we saw the few clues and hints about Patrick being bisexual) I just have a lot of questions about Patrick, he’s like Pandora’s box, the way he works his emotions so people stay at a distance, but also wears his emotions on his sleeve and you can read him like a book if you’re paying enough attention.
I think the answer is simple. His ego. He always thought he was going to be this legendary player just by his raw talent and nothing else. That's what broke his relationship with Tashi, not anything Art did. He refused to believe she was a better player than he is and refused her advice. The film actually says that at any opportunity he could rely back on his rich family but he clearly didn't want to do that. That's what made Tashi so angry and offended.
BEAUTIFUL analysis, it's like you pulled all of the loose thoughts floating in my head and laid it all out so eloquently!!! what a pleasure it's been to listen to it! the editing was so good too. all hail challengers!
your analysis was soooo good!! ❤i'm on your team of not being able to stop thinking about this movie, and i've clicked in a couple other video essays and was always left between angry and disappointed, but i agree with every word you said lol
This has been one of my favorite films of 2024, so glad you enjoyed it as well. I've seen it half a dozen times, and I'm also obsessed with the soundtrack. Have you heard the remix version as well? Really good stuff.
Great video! I was just writing an extremely detailed analysis of Challengers and was hoping to find some more insight about the film, and I did! Extremely informative. This is one of my favourite films of the year. Arguably the best of the year. Loved your video!
is it very annoying that "you can't spell Pateick without ART?" got me thinking "you can't spell awesome without ME?" yeah I know. I need to watch this movie again sometime. I went to see it in theaters actually, maybe I actually need to see in private to get the whole feels
Thank you so much for this!!! Challengers is the worm in my brain ala RFK JR. and I will take any chance I can get to mull it over while playing the soundtrack on eternal loop.
I have a lot of thoughts about this film too. 1. people who hate on any of the 3 characters are like massive red flags for me. 🚩🚩 I don't trust anyone who hates tashi duncan. I am sorry, but I will be pulling the misogynoir card on you if you do. like people's opinions on her is like a litmus test for me. so many people claim to want more messy or morally complex female protagonists, but then they can't even handle tashi duncan (which is funny, because they actually made her so much nicer in the actual film and she was a lot meaner in the script lmao). on the other hand, people who hate patrick are weak af. boy didn't do anything too malicious other than be horny and bisexual (I will overlook his "poverty cosplay" just because he is a horny bisexual. NEXT!). and then, people who hate art?... I am sorry, but I will be taking that as a personal offense! he's the character I relate to the most, and have the most similar personality to. and I have experienced what it's like to have massive self-confidence issues and burn-out, so I BELIEVE him when he says he's tired. so I feel especially extra protective of him. 2. one thing I've been thinking about is how the characters are framed, and how it ties to beauty/sexuality and power. this is a very shaky argument and it has holes, but basically, I find that how much a character is "sexualized" or have their beauty highlighted kind of reflects, on whether or not they have power in given contexts or scenarios. I came to this idea after pondering on how luca guadagnino frames art and patrick differently. so basically, as teens, with tashi being the superior tennis player, and the two boys being absolutely down bad for her, her beauty gets highlighted a lot. and it's especially interesting in how she is framed, because unlike the usual male gaze, which is like, "yeah, yeah, she has positive traits blah blah blah... but c'mon! she's sexy!!", how tashi is framed in this moment, comes across like, she is beautiful and sexy precisely because of her power. and then, there's art when he's an adult. he has this pristine and clean, untouchable image. he is supposed to be an untouchable tennis superstar and has achieved more than tashi and patrick had ever did. so to go with the "untouchable" image, guadagnino highlights art's beauty and sexuality a lot. he films mike faist like a greco-roman statue or a michelangelo sculpture, from 2011 atlanta onwards. the link between sexuality and power, especially has implications as it pertains to masculinity and power. like sexuality is weaponized in the locker room sequence by the challenger participants, as a means of intimidation or to taunt others. and then there is the challengers set breaks, where art strips his shirt multiple times. he uses his sexuality as a psychological tactic. he is asserting his dominance as an alpha male in the court. and of course, there is the sauna scene. the camera lingers a lot on the art and patrick, as they have this massive diva off lmao. so I mean, luca guadagnino isn't just slutting out mike or josh (but mostly, mike or maybe I am just biased towards mike idk), but also reflecting power dynamics and their masculinity. 3. I think there is the conversation surrounding the "gaze" in this film. like some people say it has the female gaze, while other people say that it has the queer (male) gaze. imo this film has both. first, it is primarily a queer gaze film, because 1) luca guadagnino is a gay man. that by default will reflect how his camera visualizes the film lol; 2) let's be real, I don't think any hetero male director would frame art sleeping and tossing and turning in his underwear, the way guadagnino did, during his introductory scene lmao. and then there is the way that guadagnino films the tennis matches, especially the tie-breaker set where he zooms in on the men's thighs and their calves. like there is this ancient grecian olympic (?) sport-ish energy to how the tennis scenes were shot, and really captured the homoeroticism of men's sports (in fact, thinking about it, it was about time luca guadagnino make a film about men's sports lmao). and then, there is the female gaze. the literal poster of the film is tashi with art and patrick reflected on her glasses. the literal framing device of the film is a woman gazing at male athletes compete with each other. tashi is the central character, and the film centers on her, for a chunk of it. we get to linger on her, and stay with her and empathize with her emotions. one way to view "challengers", is to view it as a tragic story about a woman trying to recapture her passion, and navigate through the barriers placed upon her just to get a glimpse of that passion. and I think there's something female gaze-y in that sort of reading. and even if for something a lot less deep than that, there were certain scenes that uses conventions that evoke the idea of the female gaze (i.e. the applebees sequence. imo that specific scene is very female gaze) 4. I don't really agree and feel kinda iffy with some of the readings some people have, which oversimplify and flatten the characters. like for example, the idea that tashi hates art actually, and only sees him as a racket and a dick. or that art sees tashi as an untouchable tennis goddess, while patrick sees her as a human being (positive-coded). or god forbid, the "patrick loves art, art loves tashi, and tashi loves tennis" mantra. there are some truth to those, but I feel like all characters love each other and tennis to different degrees, but they also resent and hold bitterness for each other. just because tashi's primary interest is tennis, that doesn't mean that art and patrick don't love tennis. patrick loves it enough to want to pursue a pro career immediately, while art values and loves it enough to feel determined to better his skill (and his literal character arc involves regaining his passion for tennis, which means that he has to feel some form of love towards it). and then while tashi feels bitter and frustrated at art for not performing the same level he did pre-injury (and that it can come across like he is taking his recovery for granted... but like, personally, I believe that art's burn out is real, as someone who has experienced burn-out before, so he doesn't come across as whiny or pathetic to me in this regard, but that's beside the point). she feels envy and resentment that he is the superstar that she isn't, but I don't believe that she hates him. I believe that she loves him as a husband and values their family together (as she is family-oriented) and what they have built together. she was visibly sad during the 2019 hotel scene (and was hesitant when art pushed her into saying she'll leave him if he loses). on the other hand, I do think that art does admire tashi for her tennis prowess, but like that's kinda relatable to other people lmao... (like me, I am only attracted to pretty people once I find out they're smart and/or talented). but like, tashi and art have known each other for so long, I believe that he has gone to love her beyond her tennis skills. but he acknowledges and is aware how much tennis means to her and how it is her primary love language. I don't think he sees her as a goddess or untouchable, because he's seen sassing her for example, during the post-match debriefing at the start of the film. he is not a passive doormat husband. that said, yes, there are negative aspects to this type of relationship. like there is the blurring of lines between husband/wife and client/coach relationships. that's why art still feels anxious about the result with his match with patrick, even if you say, "of course tashi will still LOVE him. he's her husband", precisely because of how often these lines can blur, and make it seem like their relationship hinges on tennis. on the other hand, with patrick, it's easy to interpret his love as the better kind of love, because he sees her as a flawed person, which is something that is 90% of the time as positive-coded. and I do think that there are positive aspects of patrick's love for tashi. like he has been the voice of reason for her and he grounds her. however, you can make an argument that there is this tendency for him to downplay how much tashi values tennis, and that is where the problems start. but yeah, I feel like the love each side has for the other has it's own level of toxicity, but are also just as genuine as each other.
If someone hating a fictional character is a red flag for you, you will never survive in the real world. the only character in that film that I don’t have an opinion about is Tashi. I don’t care about her character she’s not that interesting to me and I’m a black woman saying this. The only time I kinda enjoyed her onscreen was before she broke her knee. I also think someone should’ve casted an actress who could be able to capture the kind of depth that a character like Tashi requires. Zendaya is a great actress, she breathed life into Rue on Euphoria and gave her depth, but I didn’t feel that with her depiction of Tashi. Secondly, I don’t like art. Sorry. If you take that as a personal stab, go see a therapist because I don’t care. The reason I don’t like art isn’t his patheticness, I don’t like art because he had a beautiful, wonderful friendship and bond with Patrick, and yet he tried to sabotage his relationship with Tashi behind his back. And he was willing to throw their friendship away, and you can see in the scene where he does, Patrick is literally stunned. Art does not deserve a friend like Patrick. Patrick loved him DOWN and yet he did something like that. I don’t care if he was 19, I was his age and I still knew better. People at that age KNOW BETTER. It really says something if I can’t even picture Patrick throwing away his friendship with Art over anyone….and he’s a horny man. Art is fake and manipulative. He’s spineless, fake, and a loser. That being said, the relationship between art and patrick was the only interesting relationship in the film. People keep talking about how Patrick and art need Tashi for their relationship…..but their relationship was already more than fine before meeting her. It was actually healthy. And great. I’m not saying Tashi ruined anything she didn’t that was all Art’s fault. Final thing, I don’t think the boys really loved Tashi. They used Tashi as a way to be closer together romantically without being so. Even the director said that both Patrick and Art were jealous of Tashi when one of them was with her.
@@bubbles4897 tbh I don't particularly care about whether or not people dislike characters. that is none of my business. you're free to dislike them. like contrary to what I said about I said. I was literally just joking and it's not that deep. I just feel very protective of certain characters precisely because I relate to them, or because I felt like they're being overhated. contrary to what you think, I am not denying the fact that art is a horrible friend, or that he has negative traits. if ever, I appreciate that he has these traits, because since I relate so much with him and see a lot of myself with him, it helps me reign in on what are possibly my negative traits and keep them in check (i.e., some of art's actions can come across as emotion ally manipulative and when I see people talk about that, I go, "oh wow. really... never realized that"). so yes, he's not a saint, but his unsavory traits do not make his internal struggles any less valid. I do understand where a lot of art's internal struggles cone from, because I understand the feeling. I understand what it is like to be raised in a highly competitive environment and to have you be overlooked, no matter how hard you work or how much work ethic you have, simply because "you're not good enough" or not likable enough. I understand what it's like to have extreme confidence issues. I understand what it's like to be burned out, that it is something people can't grasp exactly because it's so invisible. (also I don't necessarily believe art is two-faced all the time. several times, sure. but I do think that he just has such a conflicted sense of self and have massive confidence issues). this is just all about empathy. I empathize with these aspects of art. I am not saying he never did anything wrong. but I do understand his more valid feelings and his more sympathetic side. so because of that, I feel inclined to go to art's defense on this behalf. it's more of offering another perspective to people. on tashi, I am not saying she is a perfect character, and you're free to think if she's not the best written. I do think since the screenwriter justin kuritzkes is a white straight-presenting man, there will be issues in writing her. but I feel like precisely because she is a female character and a woc at that, she is more vulnerable to hate from people because she isn't the "perfect character". and she doesn't have to be. let women be messy charcters in media. tbh I don't particularly like how the marketing tried to make her seem like a villainess femme fatale, because I don't think she is. she is a very tragic character. I do believe that she does care for the two men. I don't think it's fair to downplay or erase the love she has for one character simply because you dislike him (or to erase all of his positive or sympathetic traits just to proclaim him as the worst. I would never do that to my least fave character even). and while the, "yeah, demolish them white pathetic boys!" reading is fun, but I think it does a disservice to her character and reduces her to a one-dimensional being. and that's the thing. all three are flawed characters. they aren't particularly good people, but they aren't evil. which is why I am attached and fond of these characters. all I am saying is that I have very nuanced views and opinions on these characters. so yeah, feel free to dislike them. I will not doxx you or threaten your life. that just simply means that I will disagree and defend them if I feel you're being too harsh (and I think tashi and art especially get too much flack!). like it doesn't have to be tashi or art, I will push back against hate towards patrick too. it's fine if you have a different reading of the film or the characters. I don't think your interpretation is any more correct or valid than mine. just because a director or a cast had a certain opinion, that doesn't mean I have to agree with them and that's fine (i.e., zendaya saying that tashi and patrick could've had it all had art not intervened. I don't necessarily think so, because while art was a topic of the argument, he wasn't even the main reason why they argued or had beef with each other. ultimately both had very strong personalities and neither are willing to backdown or compromise, so that relationship wouldn't last eithwr way). that's the beauty of the open-ended nature of this film.
It's ironic how everyone talks about the blockout of the upper echelon but refuses to do it for certain celebrities who have also shown no support for Palestinian relief.
@@DumiNihi I can think of at least 15 films that pulled the “flawed character” trope better than this, I’m not about to lower my standards just because Spider-Man’s girlfriend is having booty calls unprovoked on screens to distract y’all from the fact this is the shallowest piece of media to come out in 2024
also a 3 minute scene of a guy walking arounf a tennis court in slow motion with the camera focusing on different parts of his body is not a substitute for building up suspense. Felt like a badly made fan edit
I can't lie I got the vibe from the film that Tashi was channeling her perfectionist nature for tennis into coaching art because she didn't know how to function romantically without tennis
She’s a toxic manipulator and a narcissist
this!!!!
I love the cinnamontography
omg shanespeare
Honestly I think the only reason why Tashi “picked” Art is because of his admiration of her skill (not her in general) he speaks to her as if she is above him which cements that dynamic of Tashi being superior in their relationship. He also kept repeating “who wouldn’t want a woman like you” (can’t remember the line but something like that) and it just shows the pedestal he immediately places her on. The only reason why she kept him and why she stayed with him all those years was to have someone to vicariously live through and someone that still views her as the amazing, invigorating and passionate tennis player that she used to be
ugh you’re so real! I think Tashi also felt insecure about being lovable and someone accepting her for her obsessive love and prioritization of tennis. I think she wanted someone who admired her skill and also who genuinely liked her and made her feel worthy of the love and admiration she was used to getting
i watched this movie 4 times and i still can't get enough of it. it's the subtle acting, the score, the story and camera work that just makes it perfect to me
SAME
also the fact that tennis ball from the last scene included their names on the top like ATP because it’s about three of them
wow cinema fr
Fun fact ATP stands for Association of Tennis Profesionals and is a real thing
@@Bluebell221b cool! but for me it’s Art, Tashi and their chaotic bisexual husband Patric
They were actually given those names so their initials could spell the acronym! So it’s kind of both lol
ALSO THE THUMBNAIL 🖼️👩🎨
The thing about ice, is it changes its state. From solid, to liquid, to gas so his manipulation, along with his dwindling motivation fits perfectly
she said *cinematography* on this one
The movie is so good (and I'm so obsessed with it) that it had me on Ao3 filtering the works by date instead of by kudos
Got any recs
okay I lowkey felt 0 connection to challengers and you’ve made me appreciate it more
it’s what I was made for 🥰
So great to see you so passionate about a movie ; it truly translates into your editing and speech !
thank you for this i havent stopped thinking about challengers since it came out
Thankyou for donating to Palestine ❤
THANK YOU. finally a review that doesn't demonize tashi and takes into account her race/gender
i never noticed the significance of the colours in tashi’s wardrobe!!! the shades even get lighter the less passionate she feels towards art
such a dope detail
the shots of their match from below the floor blew my mind
luca has never disappointed me at this point anything he makes i’ll watch i trust him so much
@ville__ pls why are u always responding to my comments 😭
He has no purpose. You must learn to ignore him. By responding, you are giving him something he will never get in real life. People like this exist until nature filters them out. That will be decades from now.
@ville__ 🤗🤗
I wanted to see Art and Patrick get together SO BAD but I still love the film SO MUCH
i´ve only been this invested while watching a piece of media three times in my life: the first time watching the social network, while watching challengers and while watching this video.
tsn hit harddd
Dude I couldn’t agree more. I’m absolutely obsessed. Bought the shirt and everything 😩
I was already going to follow you from this one video. But the moment you mentioned Falasteen i ran to the subscribe button 🙏🏼🇵🇸🍉
i fear i’ll never get enough of this film it’s simply perfect in my eyes
I'm not gonna lie, I am so curious as to why Patrick is the poorest out of everyone after 13 years, especially knowing from the little clues that were dropped that he had the most money out of everyone.
Because when Tashi yelled at him to stop this down-on-his-luck tennis player and stop pretending to be poor, it made me wonder what if he’s not pretending, and he actually is poor. Which I found really interesting, and I have two thoughts in relation to it.
Did his parents truly not care about their son enough to honestly check up on him in the past 13 years? Like did his mother just suddenly pretend like she never had a son for the past 13 years.
Which then I’m like okay, so they don’t love or care about their son for him just being their son, but they still very much care about their wealth and their status and reputation, which falls to Patrick(as we don’t know if he has siblings) and so you would think, they would have checked in on him or just at the very least sent him money as to know that their only son isn’t dead somewhere and can possible ruin the family name. ( I mean they sent their son to a boarding school, so they do care about their reputation to some extent)
This then makes me question if in the past 13 years did Patrick TRY and talk to them and got rejected or cut-off, or did they tell him he had to give up tennis or something and come work for the family business (or even was a little homophobic 😗, as we saw the few clues and hints about Patrick being bisexual)
I just have a lot of questions about Patrick, he’s like Pandora’s box, the way he works his emotions so people stay at a distance, but also wears his emotions on his sleeve and you can read him like a book if you’re paying enough attention.
I think the answer is simple. His ego. He always thought he was going to be this legendary player just by his raw talent and nothing else. That's what broke his relationship with Tashi, not anything Art did. He refused to believe she was a better player than he is and refused her advice. The film actually says that at any opportunity he could rely back on his rich family but he clearly didn't want to do that. That's what made Tashi so angry and offended.
Seoulite here!! I was thoroughly enjoying the video and surprised that you are currently in Seoul!! I hope you have a great time 🥳
ah! 감사합니다! 서울에서 진짜 좋은 시간을 보내고 있어요 ^^
"A baker and a war criminal." Thank you, Gale is a war criminal
BEAUTIFUL analysis, it's like you pulled all of the loose thoughts floating in my head and laid it all out so eloquently!!! what a pleasure it's been to listen to it! the editing was so good too. all hail challengers!
god i love mike faist
@ville__ wow that was a really necessary thing to add to the conversation, thank you so much for your contribution 🫶
@@lilithtothemoon what did he say omg
This video perfectly describes my fascination with this movie 🎾🎾🎾
just watched it yesterday and i also can't stop thinking bout it! clicked this so fast!
your analysis was soooo good!! ❤i'm on your team of not being able to stop thinking about this movie, and i've clicked in a couple other video essays and was always left between angry and disappointed, but i agree with every word you said lol
That thumbnail tho 🔥👀
After all, why not? Why shouldn't I rewatch Challengers?
Glad I am not the only person obsessed with this movie 😂
This has been one of my favorite films of 2024, so glad you enjoyed it as well. I've seen it half a dozen times, and I'm also obsessed with the soundtrack. Have you heard the remix version as well? Really good stuff.
I also have not been able to get challengers out of my mind omg
Great video! I was just writing an extremely detailed analysis of Challengers and was hoping to find some more insight about the film, and I did! Extremely informative. This is one of my favourite films of the year. Arguably the best of the year. Loved your video!
omg no wonder I loved the soundtrack to challengers. I loved the social network’s soundtrack too!!!!!!
The tdah brain and techno part are so reliable
but i dont think that tashi was trying to pit themselves against each other. like they were the ones willingly competing for her
I haven't seen the movie so I have no thoughts about it, I just enjoy your videos 😁
I went into this movie blind and had a theatre to myself. It was incredible. I wish it was still in theaters so I could go see it again! So badly.
this was so good and well thought out. subscribed! looking forward to more of your content!
I also love all the girlies making videos on Challengers as ot makes me aware of new perspectives and make me appreciate the movie much more ❤
This video is soooo goood ahhhhh
Love this!! Thank u ❤
4:00 *cough cough* POLYAMOROUS
team throuple forever 🎾
is it very annoying that "you can't spell Pateick without ART?" got me thinking "you can't spell awesome without ME?" yeah I know.
I need to watch this movie again sometime. I went to see it in theaters actually, maybe I actually need to see in private to get the whole feels
Thank you so much for this!!! Challengers is the worm in my brain ala RFK JR. and I will take any chance I can get to mull it over while playing the soundtrack on eternal loop.
can't watch the rest of the video because i was too distracted by how excellent your makeup look is today
Absolutely love your videos and hearing you speak about the movie!
Thanks for this 🙏🙏 you’re awesome
love love love the video and that you're donating the adsense to palestinians
THE THUMBNAIL OOF ❤
I think I’ve gotta get my hands on that screenplay
I have a lot of thoughts about this film too.
1. people who hate on any of the 3 characters are like massive red flags for me. 🚩🚩 I don't trust anyone who hates tashi duncan. I am sorry, but I will be pulling the misogynoir card on you if you do. like people's opinions on her is like a litmus test for me. so many people claim to want more messy or morally complex female protagonists, but then they can't even handle tashi duncan (which is funny, because they actually made her so much nicer in the actual film and she was a lot meaner in the script lmao). on the other hand, people who hate patrick are weak af. boy didn't do anything too malicious other than be horny and bisexual (I will overlook his "poverty cosplay" just because he is a horny bisexual. NEXT!). and then, people who hate art?... I am sorry, but I will be taking that as a personal offense! he's the character I relate to the most, and have the most similar personality to. and I have experienced what it's like to have massive self-confidence issues and burn-out, so I BELIEVE him when he says he's tired. so I feel especially extra protective of him.
2. one thing I've been thinking about is how the characters are framed, and how it ties to beauty/sexuality and power. this is a very shaky argument and it has holes, but basically, I find that how much a character is "sexualized" or have their beauty highlighted kind of reflects, on whether or not they have power in given contexts or scenarios. I came to this idea after pondering on how luca guadagnino frames art and patrick differently. so basically, as teens, with tashi being the superior tennis player, and the two boys being absolutely down bad for her, her beauty gets highlighted a lot. and it's especially interesting in how she is framed, because unlike the usual male gaze, which is like, "yeah, yeah, she has positive traits blah blah blah... but c'mon! she's sexy!!", how tashi is framed in this moment, comes across like, she is beautiful and sexy precisely because of her power. and then, there's art when he's an adult. he has this pristine and clean, untouchable image. he is supposed to be an untouchable tennis superstar and has achieved more than tashi and patrick had ever did. so to go with the "untouchable" image, guadagnino highlights art's beauty and sexuality a lot. he films mike faist like a greco-roman statue or a michelangelo sculpture, from 2011 atlanta onwards.
the link between sexuality and power, especially has implications as it pertains to masculinity and power. like sexuality is weaponized in the locker room sequence by the challenger participants, as a means of intimidation or to taunt others. and then there is the challengers set breaks, where art strips his shirt multiple times. he uses his sexuality as a psychological tactic. he is asserting his dominance as an alpha male in the court. and of course, there is the sauna scene. the camera lingers a lot on the art and patrick, as they have this massive diva off lmao. so I mean, luca guadagnino isn't just slutting out mike or josh (but mostly, mike or maybe I am just biased towards mike idk), but also reflecting power dynamics and their masculinity.
3. I think there is the conversation surrounding the "gaze" in this film. like some people say it has the female gaze, while other people say that it has the queer (male) gaze. imo this film has both. first, it is primarily a queer gaze film, because 1) luca guadagnino is a gay man. that by default will reflect how his camera visualizes the film lol; 2) let's be real, I don't think any hetero male director would frame art sleeping and tossing and turning in his underwear, the way guadagnino did, during his introductory scene lmao. and then there is the way that guadagnino films the tennis matches, especially the tie-breaker set where he zooms in on the men's thighs and their calves. like there is this ancient grecian olympic (?) sport-ish energy to how the tennis scenes were shot, and really captured the homoeroticism of men's sports (in fact, thinking about it, it was about time luca guadagnino make a film about men's sports lmao).
and then, there is the female gaze. the literal poster of the film is tashi with art and patrick reflected on her glasses. the literal framing device of the film is a woman gazing at male athletes compete with each other. tashi is the central character, and the film centers on her, for a chunk of it. we get to linger on her, and stay with her and empathize with her emotions. one way to view "challengers", is to view it as a tragic story about a woman trying to recapture her passion, and navigate through the barriers placed upon her just to get a glimpse of that passion. and I think there's something female gaze-y in that sort of reading. and even if for something a lot less deep than that, there were certain scenes that uses conventions that evoke the idea of the female gaze (i.e. the applebees sequence. imo that specific scene is very female gaze)
4. I don't really agree and feel kinda iffy with some of the readings some people have, which oversimplify and flatten the characters. like for example, the idea that tashi hates art actually, and only sees him as a racket and a dick. or that art sees tashi as an untouchable tennis goddess, while patrick sees her as a human being (positive-coded). or god forbid, the "patrick loves art, art loves tashi, and tashi loves tennis" mantra. there are some truth to those, but I feel like all characters love each other and tennis to different degrees, but they also resent and hold bitterness for each other. just because tashi's primary interest is tennis, that doesn't mean that art and patrick don't love tennis. patrick loves it enough to want to pursue a pro career immediately, while art values and loves it enough to feel determined to better his skill (and his literal character arc involves regaining his passion for tennis, which means that he has to feel some form of love towards it). and then while tashi feels bitter and frustrated at art for not performing the same level he did pre-injury (and that it can come across like he is taking his recovery for granted... but like, personally, I believe that art's burn out is real, as someone who has experienced burn-out before, so he doesn't come across as whiny or pathetic to me in this regard, but that's beside the point). she feels envy and resentment that he is the superstar that she isn't, but I don't believe that she hates him. I believe that she loves him as a husband and values their family together (as she is family-oriented) and what they have built together. she was visibly sad during the 2019 hotel scene (and was hesitant when art pushed her into saying she'll leave him if he loses). on the other hand, I do think that art does admire tashi for her tennis prowess, but like that's kinda relatable to other people lmao... (like me, I am only attracted to pretty people once I find out they're smart and/or talented). but like, tashi and art have known each other for so long, I believe that he has gone to love her beyond her tennis skills. but he acknowledges and is aware how much tennis means to her and how it is her primary love language. I don't think he sees her as a goddess or untouchable, because he's seen sassing her for example, during the post-match debriefing at the start of the film. he is not a passive doormat husband. that said, yes, there are negative aspects to this type of relationship. like there is the blurring of lines between husband/wife and client/coach relationships. that's why art still feels anxious about the result with his match with patrick, even if you say, "of course tashi will still LOVE him. he's her husband", precisely because of how often these lines can blur, and make it seem like their relationship hinges on tennis. on the other hand, with patrick, it's easy to interpret his love as the better kind of love, because he sees her as a flawed person, which is something that is 90% of the time as positive-coded. and I do think that there are positive aspects of patrick's love for tashi. like he has been the voice of reason for her and he grounds her. however, you can make an argument that there is this tendency for him to downplay how much tashi values tennis, and that is where the problems start. but yeah, I feel like the love each side has for the other has it's own level of toxicity, but are also just as genuine as each other.
If someone hating a fictional character is a red flag for you, you will never survive in the real world. the only character in that film that I don’t have an opinion about is Tashi. I don’t care about her character she’s not that interesting to me and I’m a black woman saying this. The only time I kinda enjoyed her onscreen was before she broke her knee. I also think someone should’ve casted an actress who could be able to capture the kind of depth that a character like Tashi requires. Zendaya is a great actress, she breathed life into Rue on Euphoria and gave her depth, but I didn’t feel that with her depiction of Tashi. Secondly, I don’t like art. Sorry. If you take that as a personal stab, go see a therapist because I don’t care. The reason I don’t like art isn’t his patheticness, I don’t like art because he had a beautiful, wonderful friendship and bond with Patrick, and yet he tried to sabotage his relationship with Tashi behind his back. And he was willing to throw their friendship away, and you can see in the scene where he does, Patrick is literally stunned. Art does not deserve a friend like Patrick. Patrick loved him DOWN and yet he did something like that. I don’t care if he was 19, I was his age and I still knew better. People at that age KNOW BETTER. It really says something if I can’t even picture Patrick throwing away his friendship with Art over anyone….and he’s a horny man. Art is fake and manipulative. He’s spineless, fake, and a loser. That being said, the relationship between art and patrick was the only interesting relationship in the film. People keep talking about how Patrick and art need Tashi for their relationship…..but their relationship was already more than fine before meeting her. It was actually healthy. And great. I’m not saying Tashi ruined anything she didn’t that was all Art’s fault. Final thing, I don’t think the boys really loved Tashi. They used Tashi as a way to be closer together romantically without being so. Even the director said that both Patrick and Art were jealous of Tashi when one of them was with her.
@@bubbles4897 tbh I don't particularly care about whether or not people dislike characters. that is none of my business. you're free to dislike them. like contrary to what I said about I said. I was literally just joking and it's not that deep. I just feel very protective of certain characters precisely because I relate to them, or because I felt like they're being overhated. contrary to what you think, I am not denying the fact that art is a horrible friend, or that he has negative traits. if ever, I appreciate that he has these traits, because since I relate so much with him and see a lot of myself with him, it helps me reign in on what are possibly my negative traits and keep them in check (i.e., some of art's actions can come across as emotion ally manipulative and when I see people talk about that, I go, "oh wow. really... never realized that"). so yes, he's not a saint, but his unsavory traits do not make his internal struggles any less valid. I do understand where a lot of art's internal struggles cone from, because I understand the feeling. I understand what it is like to be raised in a highly competitive environment and to have you be overlooked, no matter how hard you work or how much work ethic you have, simply because "you're not good enough" or not likable enough. I understand what it's like to have extreme confidence issues. I understand what it's like to be burned out, that it is something people can't grasp exactly because it's so invisible. (also I don't necessarily believe art is two-faced all the time. several times, sure. but I do think that he just has such a conflicted sense of self and have massive confidence issues). this is just all about empathy. I empathize with these aspects of art. I am not saying he never did anything wrong. but I do understand his more valid feelings and his more sympathetic side. so because of that, I feel inclined to go to art's defense on this behalf. it's more of offering another perspective to people.
on tashi, I am not saying she is a perfect character, and you're free to think if she's not the best written. I do think since the screenwriter justin kuritzkes is a white straight-presenting man, there will be issues in writing her. but I feel like precisely because she is a female character and a woc at that, she is more vulnerable to hate from people because she isn't the "perfect character". and she doesn't have to be. let women be messy charcters in media. tbh I don't particularly like how the marketing tried to make her seem like a villainess femme fatale, because I don't think she is. she is a very tragic character. I do believe that she does care for the two men. I don't think it's fair to downplay or erase the love she has for one character simply because you dislike him (or to erase all of his positive or sympathetic traits just to proclaim him as the worst. I would never do that to my least fave character even). and while the, "yeah, demolish them white pathetic boys!" reading is fun, but I think it does a disservice to her character and reduces her to a one-dimensional being.
and that's the thing. all three are flawed characters. they aren't particularly good people, but they aren't evil. which is why I am attached and fond of these characters. all I am saying is that I have very nuanced views and opinions on these characters. so yeah, feel free to dislike them. I will not doxx you or threaten your life. that just simply means that I will disagree and defend them if I feel you're being too harsh (and I think tashi and art especially get too much flack!). like it doesn't have to be tashi or art, I will push back against hate towards patrick too.
it's fine if you have a different reading of the film or the characters. I don't think your interpretation is any more correct or valid than mine. just because a director or a cast had a certain opinion, that doesn't mean I have to agree with them and that's fine (i.e., zendaya saying that tashi and patrick could've had it all had art not intervened. I don't necessarily think so, because while art was a topic of the argument, he wasn't even the main reason why they argued or had beef with each other. ultimately both had very strong personalities and neither are willing to backdown or compromise, so that relationship wouldn't last eithwr way). that's the beauty of the open-ended nature of this film.
anything Zendaya touches turns gold. shes just THAT🔥 IT 🔥GIRL. love to see it.
liked from title alone!
Tashi Duncan is a Super Lady!
i just watched it last night & it was so good
That sauna scene was Patrick intimidating Art?
I thought he was just happy to see him
Not a baker and a war criminal
from the river to the sea!!! 🇵🇸
Girlypop where is ur patreon??
she's in the works!!
well this ace is never going to watch tennis again that's for sure
💜💜💜
Same here gurl
It's ironic how everyone talks about the blockout of the upper echelon but refuses to do it for certain celebrities who have also shown no support for Palestinian relief.
❤❤
And the soundtrack is so sexy!!!
Me neither!!!
Same girl
algorithm
Comment for algo
i don't think you understand Patrick's character at all
and art is just as manipulative and toxic as tashi and Patrick he just knows and likes to hide it while he actually acts like a victim
so many of your points are just looking at things on the surfacelevel
@@teodorablagojevic9311 looking forward to your video essay
It's not a love triangle
Challengers isn’t that interesting, it’s a film featuring the most toxic people
i just know your media choices are boring as fuck
How does that make it not interesting?
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@@DumiNihi I can think of at least 15 films that pulled the “flawed character” trope better than this, I’m not about to lower my standards just because Spider-Man’s girlfriend is having booty calls unprovoked on screens to distract y’all from the fact this is the shallowest piece of media to come out in 2024
@@f1mbultyr 🍅
i hated the movie it was so boring and the sound mixing was awful. So was the soundtrack
also a 3 minute scene of a guy walking arounf a tennis court in slow motion with the camera focusing on different parts of his body is not a substitute for building up suspense. Felt like a badly made fan edit
No Brideshead Revisited mention in the love triangle section? 🥲
Thanks for this 🙏🙏 you’re awesome