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In “Rivals”, a romantic thriller directed with agility and passion by Luca Guadagnino, every movement is guided by desire.
If in tennis this impulse is stimulated by victory, off the court it translates into a game of psychological and sexual tension, with a trio of protagonists defined by their imperfections.
One of the vertices of this triangle is Art (Mike Faist), a tennis champion who sees his career stagnate after a series of defeats.
He plans a comeback by competing in modest championships, which culminates in a final match with Patrick (Josh O’Connor), his former best friend who never had the focus to be a great player.
At the third end is Tashi (Zendaya), a sports prodigy forced to retire after getting injured on the court, married to Art and Patrick’s ex-lover.
More than examining the conventions of the “sports drama”, Guadagnino is enthusiastic about using tennis as a backdrop for a brutal exploration of human relationships.
In a sexy and sophisticated work, he shuffles the timeline and feeds us with narrative chunks that, little by little, outline the complex connection of his protagonists.
Especially because Guadagnino makes it clear from the first frame that his function there is to stimulate the pleasure centers — of his characters and the audience.
Without the slightest rush to establish what is actually at stake in the game that frames the film, the director has fun raising the temperature.
A rude attitude here, a three-way game there. Conformity and betrayal, love and sex. Muscles worked and curves sculpted.
Tennis is the engine that drives passion, but the competition here is clearly different.
Revealed as a star in Disney programs, Zendaya made her film debut in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and took control of her TV career with the series “Euphoria”.
His magnetism, intense both in independent productions (“Malcolm & Marie”) and in blockbusters (“Dune”), gains its most vibrant stage in “Rivals”.
Niko Tavernise/Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures/Disclosure
