Challengers

Tennis player turned coach Tashi has taken her husband, Art, and transformed him into a world-famous Major champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she signs him up for a "Challenger" event — close to the lowest level of pro tournament — where he finds himself standing across the net from his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend.

Luca Guadagnino's tennis-world love triangle lands as one of the more formally inventive films of recent years, with critics singling out the propulsive score, bold editing, and a climax that genuinely divides opinion — some find it bracingly strange, others feel it strains for profundity it hasn't earned. The three lead performances drew broad praise, though audience enthusiasm ran somewhat cooler than critical reception.