"Rivals: Leading trio oozes sensuality and tension in new film by Luca Guadagnino"

The protagonist trio exudes sensuality and tension in Luca Guadagnino's new film; without needing to, Zendaya reaffirms her stage maturity and gives a lesson in silent acting

Photo: MGM Studios / Disclosure / Estadão

Rivals is a movie about tennis players that has very little to do with tennis. In fact, one of the characters even says that a tennis match is almost not about the sport, but about the relationship between the opponents. And that's what Luca Guadagnino's new film, starring Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist, is all about.

Although it's no revolution, the film that opens on Thursday 25th has the ability to make a sometimes monotonous sport exciting. And Guadagnino applies his own vision by using the well-worn love triangle formula to freshen up the format with a script by Justin Kuritzkes.

Right from the start, it's clear that the plot of the prodigy tennis player Tashi (Zendaya), who sees her career crumble after an injury, will be told through her eyes and not her hands. She is married to and coaches Art (Mike Faist) - a champion in poor form - who was best friends with Patrick (Josh O'Connor) - a failed player who begs for her help.

This dynamic is a racket of tension. Rivals plunges the viewer into the tennis court, where the former friends overflow with electricity in interspersed matches. The narrative is non-linear, full of flashbacks that contextualize and add to the story.

Another fundamental contribution is the soundtrack. Often generating dissonant sensations, the music plays its own role in making the audience uncomfortable. Almost like at the beginning of Anatomy of a Fall, where the rap seems - and is - deliberately out of place. In Rivals, the sound design, which is sometimes disconnected from the scene, helps to create an atmosphere of rupture.

Muscular bodies in favor of the narrative

The highlight is a daring move by the director, who throws the viewers from side to side at the mercy of the characters, in a sequence that condenses all the vertigo, anxiety, restlessness and expectation that made up the movie. The construction of the scene could be a failure, but the execution is extraordinary, in a clever use of visual effects to create immersion.

Although none of the performances are exceptional, all three channel the emotions and dilemmas of their characters well, which come through in their bulging muscles and sweaty bodies. Zendaya, in particular, has already shown versatility in very different roles and now offers a quieter performance.

That doesn't mean it's less impactful, on the contrary: it expresses mixtures of hatred, resentment, discomfort and resignation more powerfully than if it opted for exuberance. She's also a bit like that in Dune 2, released earlier this year. In short: a star in her prime at the age of 27.

The partners also shine. O'Connor was Prince Charles in The Crown in the past and here he offers the kind of ruse that only resentment, helplessness - and longing - can provide as fuel for motivation. On the other hand, Faist conveys both the drive and indecision, the fatigue and boredom, expected of an athlete on the edge.

Intimacy and good taste

Like Call Me By Your Name, Guadagnino makes sensuality the keynote, even in sexual doses. To this end, the figure of an "intimacy coordinator" was brought onto the set, but not to spice things up. The idea was to put the actors at ease when doing the scenes, which the three of them said in interviews was a good idea.

"It was fantastic and very useful, because it was important that we felt safe. I talked to my colleagues so that we could find a way to feel comfortable," Zendaya told The Hollywood Reporter's Roma magazine. The result goes beyond the screen with the tastefulness of the hottest sequences.

It's interesting to note the number of interactions between the actors and phallic objects, which serves as a contrast to Zendaya's powerful character. Although the second trailer misleads by overvaluing her as a man-eater - the song Maneater, by Nelly Furtado, is crucial to the marketing piece - it is in fact she who defines the trio's dynamic.

One conversation will stick with you: "I love you", "I know."

Competition and disappointment drive childhood friends apart in 'Rivals'

Photo: Niko Tavernise/MGM Studios/Divulgação / Estadão

Director Luca Guadagnino manages to turn tennis into a sport of explosions with a plot full of conflicts

Photo: Warner Bros./Divulgação / Estadão

The protagonist trio exudes sensuality and tension in Luca Guadagnino's new film; without needing to, Zendaya reaffirms her stage maturity and gives a lesson in silent acting

Photo: MGM Studios / Disclosure / Estadão in Portuguese
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