While some may contest whether his new film – Challengers – is, in fact, director Luca Guadagnino’s best film, it is undeniable that this is, simply put, a great film.

In Challengers stars Zendaya as a former tennis prodigy named Tashi Duncan who, after a brutal injury ends her career, turns to coaching and while serving as such for her husband – Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), himself a tennis champion, though currently besought by a losing streak – orchestrates a final confrontation between Art and his former friend and rival for Tashi’s affections, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor). As the two old friends face each other in the most important match of their lives, their troubled relationship plays out as flashbacks between sets.

Director Luca Guadagnino – perhaps previously best known Suspiria (2019) and Call Me by Your Name (2017) – proves a formidable directorial force with his command of the material here. There is never a...