Hello my little white boys, take good care, because this post contains spoilers for Challengers.
The Film
Young tennis players, Art Donaldson and Patrick Zweig, are best friends and definitely not gay, but also maybe a bit. Up and coming tennis star, Tashi Duncan, quickly becomes the object of both their affections, even more so when she asks them to play for her phone number (genius).
Originally agreeing to date Patrick, once Tashi experiences a career-ending injury with Art by her side, she and Art eventually begin their life together, she as his coach, business partner and wife, and he as her blond puppy.
When Art’s career takes a downward turn, Tashi suggests an easy win - a challenger - what he doesn’t know is that talented but down on his luck Patrick will be there, and the love triangle of their youth will be reignited.
There’s tennis, a thumping techno score, and tension. Enough to make you sweat.
Challengers is directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes.
The Scene
We’re looking at the very end of the film. It’s Donaldson vs. Zweig and everything is out on the table now, but without words. Art has just learned that Patrick and Tashi slept together again (Christ!) and they’ve got to fight it out (with balls and rackets) and play a real game of tennis.
Watch the scene below and focus on the looks between Art and Patrick.
The Analysis
Okay, so we’ve got Art and we’ve got Patrick. With just a motion of his hand (before the beginning of this scene), Patrick has told Art that he and Tashi slept together. To which Art exclaims an almost casual “Fuck off” - an appropriate reaction.
Without words, here’s the conversation that ensues:
Patrick: How does that make you feel?
Art: Let me think.
Art: I’M FURIOUS!
Patrick: Jeez, okay…
Art: Let’s talk.
Art: Let’s really talk.
Patrick: Hell yeah.
These are characters with history. The reason Art even knows what Patrick has done, is because this is parallel to a conversation they’ve had before. In the previous conversation, not only were there more words exchanged, but the stakes were lower and their dynamic was different. Now, with their careers, money, relationships, and pride on the line, the stakes are impossibly high.
They’re able to have this non-dialogue conversation in the climax, because it’s been set up for us. We’ve been given a whole new language - the language of tennis, the language of this love triangle, the language of filmmaking and score - and now we, the audience, understand it near-fluently.
We get to the point where winning the match doesn’t matter. But, playing it does, speaking their shared language does. And even though part of this conversation is just between Art and Patrick, Tashi’s euphoric “Come on!” tells us that, yes, this is real tennis, this is connection.
The Exercise
An issue with writers is that we all think our dialogue needs to be heard. But, so much more can be said with less. We are lying, hiding, and faking all the time.
So, write a scene in which Character A tells their friend, B, how much they hate their colleague, C.
Then, write a scene that takes place after a year or more, between the same two characters, A and B. But, now B and C, the colleague, are engaged after several months of dating.
What does A say? And what does B say? What’s left out of the conversation? And what’s said with movement, body language and their shared history from the previous conversation?
I’m not even saying this second scene needs no dialogue, but experiment with restriction. And consider: selective dialogue, history and body language.
Okay, time to Script On.
Extra Bits
On This Watch I Noticed…
That Patrick is canonically bisexual??? I didn’t catch this before and just assumed it was something to be inferred through his actions, but no! Quite early on, in the locker room scene, Patrick’s scrolling through a dating app, which includes the profiles of men and women.
The Award for Best Prop Goes to…
Josh O’Connor’s casually placed towel in the sauna scene - it says so much (and doesn’t cover much either AWOOOOGAAA). But, honestly, what a great way to tell us the difference between these characters with just a rectangle of Egyptian cotton.
If You Like…
Gay Sports
The TV adaptation of A League of Their Own, gone much too soon but never forgotten. Gay tension and baseball tension, what a world!
Love Triangles
The Worst Person in the World is just lovely, wonderful and messy. I cried when I saw it the cinema and it hasn’t left my heart since.
In Control Women with Bobs, but also with a Soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Gone Girl, I’m currently reading the original book and wow! No wonder they put money into this thing! But, this film is thrilling, twisty and fantastically cast.
Thank you for reading Script On! The next scene analysis will be on Raw (2016)!
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