Beyond tropes: The raw, unapologetic sensuality in Luca Guadagnino’s films
Movies like Challengers and Queer were snubbed by the Oscars when they should have been celebrated.
Luca Guadagnino’s films are memorable for their deep exploration of sensuality, intimacy, and desire. Throughout his work, especially in films like Call Me by Your Name (2017) and Challengers (2024), he has transformed the framework of what constitutes a romantic drama, offering the audience an exciting departure from traditional romantic tropes. His subtle and raw depictions of love, often involving queer characters, have marked him as a distinctive voice in cinema—a voice that challenges the boundaries of what a romantic drama can be, not just what it is.
At the heart of Guadagnino’s filmmaking is a determination to highlight desire in its most sensitive state. His style is defined by a slow approach that harshly contradicts the usual fast-paced and idealized depictions of romance in mainstream media. In Call Me by Your Name, Guadagnino creates a vulnerable picture of first love and sexual awakening. Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer) explore their emotions during a sun-filled summer in Italy. Sensuality is found not in dramatic gestures but in hesitant touches, longing stares, and unspoken yearning between the characters. Also, the pacing allows the interactions to develop slowly, as the blossoming intimacy is deeply felt. The use of natural elements, such as its warm setting and soft lighting, enhances the theme of sensuality. This approach removes the film from an overused coming-of-age love story to a story of desire and loss.
Moreover, in Challengers, the sensuality is drawn from a different context, where Tashi (Zendaya), Art (Mike Faist), and Patrick (Josh O’Connor) are involved in a love triangle, highlighting the intense emotions of desire and jealousy. One of the most notable parts of the film is that every glance, touch, and decision holds a deeper meaning, as the attraction is thick in the air.
Unfortunately, despite the credits Guadagnino has earned from his films, it was recently announced that neither Challengers nor Queer (2024) were nominated for the Oscars. This is a significant insult, considering how much his films impacted the romance genre and the community—no matter the sexuality. His films highlight queer love, sensuality, and desire that is so unapologetic and fearless, and that should be celebrated.
This lack of recognition draws attention to the wider problem in the film industry: a hesitation to accept films that reject traditional romantic tropes, especially when queer characters and their relationships are portrayed in an honest and humane rather than perfect or idealized way. However, one aspect of this hesitation could be the “gap between the tastes of Academy voters” and the regular movie enthusiast. It is apparent that Academy voters choose to stick to the traditional tropes they are comfortable with, and Guadagnino’s works are anything but traditional.
However, while Academy voters might have overlooked Guadagnino’s works, his films continue to relate with audiences who are lovers of more delicate, complex portrayals of love and sensuality. His films are a testament to the power of cinema and how the complexity of human desire and emotions could be explored in different ways without turning to traditional Hallmark-type romantic dramas.
