The mold for award-worthy films is never quite set in stone.
Films that take risks and “think outside the box” have received many an Oscar nomination (and even an occasional Oscar win). There are films that challenge our ways of thinking in a unique manner, unlike anything we’ve ever seen. There are films that break the bounds of special effects and transport us to a completely new place.
I’m sure you can think of specific films that have taken risks, changed lives and secured an Oscar nomination. I think of Parasite (2020), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Spirited Away (2001). It’s refreshing when films like these receive positive reinforcement for jumping at the chance to make the movies an adventure.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for the 2025 Oscars, which take place this weekend on March 2, 2025. These nominations came out earlier this year on January 23. The past year brought us groundbreaking films, many of which earned their rightful nominations from the Academy: Conclave secured eight nominations, The Brutalist earned 10 and Anora earned six. Emilia Pérez controversially earned the most acclaim of any film this year with 13 nominations… And yet, something is missing.
Specifically, the tennis film is missing. Yes, Challengers, I’m looking at you.
Despite the film receiving rave reviews, nominations and wins at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, director Luca Guadagnino’s breathtaking work on Challengers (and later released Queer (2024)) didn’t receive a single Oscar nomination.
Is a fun movie with complex characters and inventive cinematography not grounds enough for a nomination? Are we (well, some people) just pretending that Challengers and Queer weren’t some of the biggest movies of the last year?
Sure, we could just say that the Oscars are rigged and stop there. This isn’t the first time that a film I love doesn’t make it in the eyes of Academy voters. I respect it. I trust the process. I understand that to some, Challengers may have only come across as an overly erotic tennis movie that had no substance. But, when a director’s work on such a groundbreaking level isn’t getting recognized among similar (or worse) work, it’s the duty of the fans to point it out. There needs to be some recognition, at least, of the beauty Guadagnino illustrates in his visionary work to make everyone wonder how the heck the film wouldn’t be appreciated on one of entertainment’s biggest stages.
Challengers follows star tennis pro-turned-coach Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) as she kickstarts an explosively entangled relationship with best friends turned rivals Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor). The two fight for her approval over many years, eventually playing one another at a challenger match in New Rochelle, New York.
Tashi repeatedly insists that all she wants to do is "watch some good fucking tennis,” but the focal point of the movie is so clearly more than that. Moments on the tennis court throughout the film mirror the ebb and flow of the characters’ relationships seamlessly. Nothing is by accident: From the cinematography to the dialogue, each piece of the foundation holds such purpose. The film sparkles with complexity. Each scene of the three main characters offers something new for the viewer to digest.
Challengers categorizes a new kind of sexy cinema, one that people might cower from in the same way they did Saltburn (2023). The two films mirror one another and have found themselves on similar pathways. Saltburn’s sexual promiscuity made it scary and “cower-worthy” to many of its viewers, many people calling it weird and unnecessary. Challengers introduced a similar, more nuanced sexual promiscuity that did not go over well with certain audience demographics. Similarly to Challengers, Saltburn received many nominations across the rest of the awards circuit, but did not receive any Oscar nominations.
All three lead actors in Challengers command the screen as they portray morally gray characters that viewers can’t quite pin down.
Zendaya takes charge, stepping out and becoming the model of the film as she plays the hell out of the game. Tashi is a hard character to capture - she doesn’t make sense and her ambition warps her decision making. In the audience, you find yourself contemplating whether you should root for her: Your choice ricochets back and forth like a heated tennis match.
Zendaya’s performance shocks you. The spectacular leading lady should be stepping into Oscar nominated shoes. Oscar winning shoes, even… I digress.
She’s backed by Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist’s equally captivating performances. Patrick and Art, nicknamed Fire and Ice, showcase how different personalities can succeed (and fail) in this relationship game. They both illustrate the realities of conflict and compromise in professional sports, romance and life itself. O’Connor captures the ignition of fire in his quick quips and rash decision making, while Faist calmly moves through space as a glacier: quiet, but dangerous. You once again can’t quite decide who to root for. Is one man better off with Tashi, or are they both better off without her?
Cinematography evolves into a mosaic of beauty as the film progresses. The camera breaks traditional barriers and captures tennis in a four dimensional experience that you can see, smell and touch. I can’t begin to understand the mechanics of each shot, as they were equally intricate and complicated. Viewers experience the tennis matches from the perspective of the spectator, the referee… Even the perspective of the ball.
You’re jolted back and forth in the audience between Art, Tashi and Patrick’s tennis rackets in a way that’s jarring. Upon first watch, I didn’t quite like it. It felt too “campy,” almost nauseating with how quickly my eyes had to adjust. The appreciation took a minute to sink in. I had to give it a chance. Once I understood that the camerawork symbolized the dynamic of the characters’ personalities and how they interact, it all made so much more sense.
The camera even sinks below the surface and captures the challenger match from under the court. Isn’t that cool? It isolates viewers from the match before reeling them back in, the transparency of the floor symbolizing the eventual clarity of where Art and Patrick stand in their relationships.
There is no small feat when it comes to editing together these enthralling scenes. Between the flawless cuts and smooth transitions linking scenes and time periods, there is no doubt in my mind that this should win a plethora of awards for its editing.
This leads me to commend the score of the film. I’m used to big budget films having amazing scores, but they all rely on classical instrumentals to move the plot along. Challengers said “OK, I raise you this,” and incorporated a loud, tangled EDM soundtrack in its crucial moments.
I don’t like EDM. I don’t listen to it on my own accord. But, when this film dropped and I heard the soundtrack over the AMC speakers, I was hooked. Composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross further designed the feeling of the film through their soundtrack. It makes the film viewing experience fun, messy and intense. We need more of that in movies right now.
There are a few exceptions to this EDM heavy soundtrack that are placed strategically in points throughout the film. For example, “Uncle ACE” by Blood Orange kicks off the story. Blu Cantrell’s “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” plays faintly over a speaker when Art and Patrick have a humor-filled argument (featuring the iconic churro eating scene) in Stanford’s dining hall. A different song later plays when Tashi and Art have an argument. These songs reference the relationships of the characters in those moments and even allude to where they’re headed next. Viewers quickly discover that, despite Art and Patrick’s personal beliefs, Tashi is always already six moves ahead.
The score received a win for Best Score at the 2025 Golden Globes (as it should), but was left out of the running for the Oscar. Compared to the Best Score Oscar nominations, Challengers’ soundtrack is the most extraordinary. Everything else is good, but nothing struck me (and many other viewers) like this soundtrack.
Challengers was beautiful and highlighted such filmmaking expertise and intelligence from Guadagnino, yet the Academy didn’t send it its flowers. While it certainly wasn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, I refuse to see what was unworthy of a single nomination.
Challengers put a unique spin on what we’ve come to anticipate from sports movies and (most importantly) did it well.
The mold for award-worthy films is never quite set in stone, which means a few are bound to slip through the cracks. Maybe that’s the problem.
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