“Unlocking the Secrets: How ‘Challengers’ Redefines Screenwriting Through Compelling Storytelling Techniques”
Kuritzkes said he wanted it to feel like you were in on a secret by the end. Viewers understand the nonverbal communication that happens at key moments (including one telling moment with a ball and racket).
Instead of just being a tennis match, the scenes play out like nonverbal arguments, the characters vying for the upper hand on the court and in their relationships.
Knowing the backstories of these characters also places the audience in the position of the “third person” in the triangle when there are scenes between just Tashi and Art or just Tashi and Patrick. Understanding that conflict is a wonderful way to inject drama without doing anything directly in the scene—the viewer simply has that perspective.
