The Best Luca Guadagnino Movies To Watch After 'Challengers' (And Where to Stream Them)
The tennis drama Challengers became a surprise hit film in 2024 thanks to a great performance from Zendaya and the bubbling queer sexual tension between Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist that director Luca Guadagnino is famous for. If you loved the pulpy, exciting melodrama of Challengers, check out our guide to find out where you can watch more of Guadagnino’s best movies and TV shows.
Guadagnino began his career in Italy and has directed everything from commercials to music videos, documentaries, short films, and feature-length movies. His first major hit around the globe was 2009’s I Am Love. An official selection at the Sundance, Berlin, Venice, and Toronto film festivals, the movie centers around a woman (Tilda Swinton) who begins a new life in Italy and marries into a wealthy family. But soon, she begins having an affair with one of her son’s friends. Filled with sexual tension, lies, and lust, the movie is salacious and captivating.
Arguably the most famous Guadagnino film is Call Me By Your Name. In the film, a 24-year-old (Armie Hammer) arrives in Italy to help a professor with a project during the early ‘80s. Soon, he begins to fall in love with the professor’s 17-year-old son (Timothée Chalamet). The film received praise for its sexual tension and emotional exploration of what life was like for closeted men who fall in love. Call Me By Your Name received ample amounts of praise and was even nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Chalamet would team up with the director again a few years later for Bones and All.
Guadagnino also directed the 2018 remake of Suspiria, a film about a reclusive German dance school that’s actually run by a coven of bloodthirsty witches. Despite being a horror movie, Suspiria was praised for its cinematography and gorgeous visuals. It also had an all-star cast that included Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth, and Dakota Johnson.
2024 was a huge year for Guadagnino. On top of Challengers making almost $100 million at the box office, the director also released Queer, starring Daniel Craig. In the film, Craig stars as an American expat living in Mexico who finds himself falling for a younger man. Queer earned numerous awards, including a Golden Globe and SAG nomination for Craig.
