“We Were in Love”: A Homoerotic Relationship as Depicted Through Tennis
By Lauren Matz
Earlier this year, I coerced my close friend to come see Challengers, a movie I’d been anticipating since even before its deliciously provocative trailer came out ten months prior. I was leaning out of my seat, practically drooling, eager to soak up every detail on the big screen (and soak them up I did, as I went back to the theaters for this film three more times). However, as we walked out of the AMC, my friend remarked that he really didn’t feel the movie was gay enough. To this I was shocked (was the scene where Art and Patrick literally make out with each other not enough for him?), and I only became more so each time I went back and added to my queer analysis. Even today, far too many people seem to have moved on from the Challengers craze… but I stayed there. I feel compelled to defend this wonderfully nuanced queer masterpiece with my interpretation.
I am of the opinion that the entire plot of the movie is inherently gay. Tashi Duncan is an incredibly captivating character to watch on screen, but arguably more captivating is the battle between Patrick and Art for her favor. The two men constantly scream repressed homosexuality, like when they share the story of Patrick teaching Art how to masturbate (fellas, is it gay to jack off with your best friend?). I would argue that Tashi, while surely attractive to them both, serves more as a vehicle for their attraction to each other. After all, she does physically position them into making out with each other, while she moves herself out of the equation. She even refers to herself as a “homewrecker”, suggesting she entered their lives and meddled with their existing homosexual relationship. Equally important, however, are the movie’s subtly queer details.
Early on in the film, it is established that tennis is not just a central theme in the movie; it’s a device used to propel the character’s storylines forward. Sitting on the beach with Patrick and Art, Tashi Duncan states, “You don’t know what tennis is… It’s a relationship… For about 15 seconds there, we were actually playing tennis, and we understood each other completely. So did everyone watching. It was like we were in love.” In the context of the movie, which is structured around the match between Patrick and Art 13 years later, this line becomes paramount to the plot. Their match in New Rochelle not only charts out the back-and-forth of their relationship, but rekindles it as well, as indicated by the hug in the penultimate shot of the film. In fact, I would even say that the isolated sounds of their grunting during their match was a nod from the filmmakers to indicate their “relationship” is, in fact, sexual.
To this point, the sexuality of their relationship is emphasized time and time again. One device in particular that drives this subject is food. Several scenes in the movie caught the internet’s attention for their phallic imagery. For example, in the final scene of Patrick and Art together before things turn sour, the two are sharing churros. As the energy of their conversation builds up, their bites become more aggressive, until finally Patrick snatches Art’s churro to bite it right in front of his nose like a man starved. The sexual undertones in this scene are impossible to ignore.
Interestingly, Zendaya revealed in an interview that the churros were not scripted. The co- stars joked that it was “definitely a Luca thing”; Luca Guadagnino is, after all, known for incorporating food in a sexual context into his films. The fact that this element was a last minute addition adds to the growing list of evidence. It was an intentional decision on the part of the director to up the ante and add even more queerness.
Furthermore, in the final match between Patrick and Art, during their break between sets, Patrick begins to eat a banana. He smirks at Art as he devours it, as if overtly referencing their extensive history. Before they return to their match, Patrick must re-establish his position in their relationship– past and present.
It’s also interesting to look at Art’s pre-tennis gum chewing– and who handles it for him. As teenagers, Patrick and Art stretch together, synchronized, like a ritual. Then, Patrick holds up his hand for Art to spit out his gum. The act is inherently intimate. Even more so is the way they seem to read each other’s minds while doing it. However, this torch is passed to Tashi later on. As Art prepares for his match against Felix du Maurier, Tashi holds out her hand for him to spit out his gum. Tashi, as in his wife. The audience gets to see one ritual passed from Patrick to Tashi, but who knows what else she was entrusted with when Patrick couldn’t be there?
Challengers, with its nodding to details of the relationship between two men while still leaving so much to the imagination, is a masterful win for queer film lovers. I hail this movie as a wonderfully gay cult classic film, even without any homosexuality being explicitly stated. I enjoy a film where I have to work for a conclusion, and this is no exception. Upon each rewatch, I delight in noticing new details I hadn’t seen before– and somehow, there’s still something new for me every time. And so, when I converse with that friend I first saw the movie with, I’m happy to update him on my findings. I will not rest until he– along with the rest of the world– gives Challengers its flowers.