Challengers (2024)

Challengers, is an interesting sports film about tennis... or is it really about tennis? 

The story follows two male tennis players, Art and Patrick, who start as best friends passionate about the game. Their dynamic changes when they encounter Tashi Duncan (played by Zendaya), a teenage tennis superstar they both become obsessed with.

Tashi is a formidable player with a singular focus on winning. As both friends slowly fall deeper into their obsession, they lose sight of their own friendship and start become obsessed with winning. Specifically, winning Tashi. 

SPOILERS AHEAD 

Art eventually marries Tashi, though complications arise. Patrick becomes entangled in their lives through various "challenger" tournaments, and Tashi positions herself as his "prize" to be won. 

Tashi's true motivations are ambiguous, adding to the film's complexity. She might be a slight sociopath driven solely by a need to win and dominate. However, not everything is within her control.

SPOILERS END 

Both men’s love for Tashi is flawed and somewhat toxic. Art is so in love with her, that he'll continue playing competitive tennis at the cost of his own happiness. Patrick's deep infatuation with her brings him to do immoral things so he can run into her again. 

In a way both men "lose" their way in trying to win her. Trying to win her love, and her approval. Tennis ceases to be about the sport and becomes a means to win her.

Tashi embodies the paradox of human desire: the constant drive to win and compare, even though the satisfaction of victory is fleeting and only fuels further desire.

The film masterfully reveals how an obsession with winning can consume us, leading to a satisfying conclusion. It suggests that while our desire to win and achieve can be powerful, true fulfillment comes from appreciating the journey and recognizing our genuine connections.

Bend it like Beckham (2002)

Bend it like Beckham attempts to answer the age-old question plaguing many second-generation Indians growing up in Western countries: am I Indian, or Western? The movie responds in a way that doesn’t simplify anything but connects the dots beautifully: you’re both.

The plot centers on Jess (short for Jassminder), a young Punjabi girl who is extremely passionate about football (soccer). She spends all her spare time thinking about it and fancies playing with some of the guys in her neighborhood. Her sister nudges her to be more like a “normal” girl and wear makeup, tight clothes, and get a boyfriend. Her parents are distraught at seeing her playing with the guys. Yet, she relents and keeps playing.

Jules, another young soccer player, observes Jess on the field and invites her to try out for the women’s (I suspect juvenile women’s) national soccer team. Jess tries out and impresses the earnest/initially skeptical coach (Joe) and makes it onto the team.

There’s only one problem: Jess’s parents don’t know that Jess is playing for the women’s soccer team. And they’d rather she stick to being a “good” Punjabi girl and learn how to make aloo gobi instead. Like many Indian communities, her family wants to maintain a good face in their own community, and we soon find out from Jess’s dad’s past experience: being Indian in any non-Indian sports team could come with its fair share of risk (racism, etc.).

Yet, what follows in Jess’s life on the soccer field are many fruitful things: a strong friendship with Jules, a genuine romantic connection with Joe, and the joy of playing soccer, an activity she loves. The soccer field is like a second home, with Joe, Jules, and her teammates being another family in addition to her own. It becomes more and more difficult to choose one home, and the reality that the movie weaves until the end is that she needs both to feel truly fulfilled.

Many Indian Americans and Indian Europeans, I’m sure, have felt this crisis before: doing something that feels against their parents’ values and upbringing, yet what feels like the best thing to do for themselves. Bend it like Beckham beautifully addresses these topics by highlighting the importance of communication and honesty between parents and their children, and the belief that there can, in fact, be a bridge between both cultures that could lead to a better future for all.