The Challengers I watched and the Challengers that has swept the internet seem to be two completely different movies. The Challengers I watched was about Tashi and her feral need for control, her need for winning and how she viewed her life through the lense of the game of tennis, and how her own life was a microcosm of the game, instead of the other way round. The relationship between Tashi (Zendaya), Art (Mike Faise) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor), was to me less sexual than it was merely passion for the game that translated itself into this raw energy that none of them knew exactly how to deal with. In as much as there was excitement about the menage a trois, what I saw was Tashi playing with Art and Patrick the moment that she met with them, antagonizing them, making her ken dolls kiss, the way a child playing with her dolls would. Sure Art and Patrick in turn because very moldable in those roles, but it wasn’t sexual but a different kind of passion and tension that the oblivious onlooker has no choice but to wonder if they just need to f*ck to get it out of the way.

Tashi Duncan is a former tennis champion who is forced out of playing competitively due to a leg injury and eventually turns to coaching. During her prime, Tashi meets two best friends, Art and Patrick who are both obsessed with her, not just because of her beauty, but because of how dedicated she is to her craft. After an encounter with both of the boys, which involves an incomplete threesome, Tashi both brings the boys closer together but also creates a rift between the two. Instead of choosing who she is interested in, Tashi tells them that the person who wins their match will get her number and date her. Patrick wins the match and begins to date Tashi, however, seemingly due to his wealthy background, Patrick does not take the game as seriously as Tashi does and this breeds conflict between the two, as Tashi is completely engrossed in the game and every aspect of her life revolves around tennis, which Patrick is quite blase about.

During an important match, Tashi hurts her leg, and this is heralded by a fight between Patrick and Tashi, and this leads to a fall out between the two because Patrick was not at the match due to their fight prior to the match, and Art, who was clearly more devoted to Tashi uses this conflict to get closer to Tashi and his relationship with Patrick deteriorates as a result. Art exhibits jealous traits towards Patrick’s relationship with Tashi and event tries to create a wedge between the two. It seems it’s mostly guilt for wanting Tashi that drives Art apart from Patrick. Despite the confusing/annoying time jumps, it is established that Tashi has cheated on Art with Patrick over the years, to Patrick’s knowledge too, but Patrick seems to have made peace with the fact that Tashi can never really belong to him alone. Just as with the game of tennis, it doesn’t matter who he beats, it only matters that he is with Tashi, and they have a child together.

While Tashi is devoted to tennis, Art is devoted to Tashi and continues to play for the sake of Tashi, because he realises that Tashi is living vicariously through him, but this is burdensome to him. Patrick on the other hand, while down on his luck and living as an actual hobosexual, meeting dates online for a place to sleep, realises the wasted life he has lived and wishes for Tashi to give him a lifeline by giving him a chance to make a come back. Tashi however does not see this for Patrick because to her Patrick (and how he turned out) is proof that she is a god for what she did for Art, since Patrick was a better player than Art.

In order to get Art our of his losing streak, Tashi sets him up for challengers matches, where Patrick and Art reunite, however, there is still some animosity that is veiled as apathy particularly from Art. Tashi realizes that Art needs to beat Patrick in order to regain his confidence, but Art feels like he does not love the game anymore. Patrick on the other hand has regained a sense of purpose and wishes to get back in the game and see it through. As a last ditch effort to intervene for Art, Tashi asks Patrick to throw the game and allow Art to win to boost his morale. That same night, Patrick and Tashi sleep together again, once again betraying Art, but this does not seem to phase Tashi. Patrick is vague about whether or not he is willing to throw the game. During the final match, with tensions high, Patrick indicates to Art that he slept with Tashi and the anger/purpose/passion fuels them to play a vivacious round of tennis that gets everyone off their feet, thereby ending the movie without the audience knowing who won. It seems Tashi has won because of the new fire that her white boys have reignited to the game, Art’s zeal for the game is also renewed, and Patrick also stands to benefit from the status this would bring him.

While Challengers is indeed full of homoerotic airs throughout the movie, for me the focus is on Tashi and her puppeteer energy that she runs her live and the boys’ lives. Because of the competitive lives they live, it doesn’t seem that any of them has sadly really lived their full lives, and it is only when the three of them are within each other’s proximity that they can actually reach their full potential. Tashi can no longer play tennis and needs Art to do it vicariously for her, and Art does not have anymore zeal for the sport and needs Patrick to spark that in him, taking himself to another level, and Patrick himself needs Tashi’s guidance and coaching to get him to where he wants to be. A perfect triangle of symbiosis or co-dependence. A must watch sports drama that will leave you wanting more.

Rating- 3 out of 5 stars

Streaming on- Prime Video