I truthfully don't quite know where to start with this one. Luca Guadagnino has made a name for himself in recent years exploring romance and sensuality, with hits like his breakout Call me by Your Name, and 2022's cannibal romance Bones & All. Here he takes a terrific script from Justin Kuritzkes and uses tennis as a vessel for sexual/romantic tension and delivers something simply electric.
The film is told non-linearly, opening on a match between the two male leads Art (Mike Faist), and Patrick (Josh O'Connor) as Art's wife and coach Tashi (Zendaya) nervously watches from the sidelines. We are then bounced around over a span of 13 years unravelling the layered relationships between all three, a tight knot of competitive, sexual, jealous fire that all comes to a head in an otherwise unimportant tournament final.
When the film first jumped back in time I was a little unsure of how I'd feel, but it really works here. The match between Art and Patrick is the main story but it carries no weight without knowing the history between the two, so allowing that to unfold all within the span of this match almost allows it to play out like a mystery that just keeps ramping up the tension as the match goes on. The dynamic between the three is fascinating. There is an rich jealously between the two men over their shared feelings for and past with Tashi, but there's perhaps an even richer envy from Tashi as her promising career was cut short by an injury. Whether it's the limits of Art's potential on the court, or Patrick's smugness as he gets in the way of his own success, there's a quiet but simmering anger to Tashi that Zendaya knocks out of the park. This really is just an acting powerhouse from all three. Zendaya nails that under the skin intensity but in the early scenes pre-injury she has an aura of effortless beauty and charisma that does a ton to sell the magnetic way the two guys are drawn to her. Josh O'Connor has my favourite performance of the three, delivering a delightful smugness where it always feels like he should be on top, showing a swagger and attitude throughout but with moments where the reality of his situation sets in. Mike Faist doesn't necessarily steal scenes as much as the other two, but his arc is really interesting. He starts off very fun and outgoing but seeds of insecurity and jealousy grow and grow as his story progresses and he sells it quite well.
Aside from those three there aren't really any other big characters, only a few others even have lines of dialogue. So without an ensemble of performances to point out, two men are the clear supporting stars here: composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The two have made a name for themselves through incredible music for films like Gone Girl, Bones & All, and their Oscar winning efforts in The Social Network and Soul. This is a departure from those scores as they infuse this with a pulsing energy that almost feels like being at a club, and it works brilliantly. The music is electric and gives the film an infectious energy that just feels ridiculously cool. There is one musical choice later in the film that didn't work for me at all, but aside from that I'm obsessed with their work on this. I was also pretty blown away by the cinematography. The movie is clearly shot on film which gives it a pretty consistently great look alongside strong work from Sayombhu Mukdeeprom. But it's when the film gets a lil weird that it was really wowed, as Mukdeeprom and Guadagnino pull off some crazy filmmaking in the final scene that will certainly irk some but I absolutely loved.
This is just such a cool film. It's sexy both on and off the court, constantly engaging in a comparison between sports and sexuality with this love triangle at the core of it. It's frenetic energy is damn near addicting and it all comes to a head in a really interesting ending. From a filmmaking standpoint I have few complaints, and the trio of performances are terrific from start to finish. There's so much to unpack with this film, I'm really only scratching the surface here so I would highly recommend checking it out for yourself. If this doesn't make you want to grab a tennis racket as soon as you leave the theatre, there might be something seriously wrong with you.
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