This is a good example of how narrative, characters, and cinematography creates incredible synergy. From the beginning, I noticed that the camera is bold and showing off. And then the dramatic soundtrack followed. This naturally pumped me up as if I was watching the tennis match in the movie right there at the court.

On surface, the story is about this trouple’s messy back-and-forth tennis-match-like relationship but I think underneath, it is about how we have different desires about our partners and the types of relationships we build accordingly. Tashi and Patrick were more equals and Patrick couldn’t stand Tashi’s domineering attitude. Tashi had to talk about tennis and give notes to Patrick even they were making out and Patrick disliked this. On the other hand, Art, who was perhaps the worse player than Tashi and Patrick, didn’t mind becoming a fan boy to Tashi. Tashi pushed away Patrick and ended up with Art, but their marriage was not one between the equals but more like a relationship between a teacher and a student. We don’t see everything but Art’s decision to give up tennis was not surprising. Art and Patrick’s friendship was interesting too. Their different personalities aside (i.e., fire and ice), their friendship was almost homoerotic and intimate (c.f., the cafeteria scene), and this deep and intoxicating friendship made everything more complex.

And the ending! I can say it’s one of the best endings I’ve ever seen. It was so dramatic that it released the tension and rewarded the audience greatly. It had a symbolic meaning too. As the match progressed, the distance between the two narrowed, and eventually Art jumped, leaned, and crossed the net towards Patrick’s side. And instead of shock and embarrassment, Patrick smiled and hugged Art in his arms. As Tashi said earlier in the movie, this scene epitomized how tennis match could be like a relationship. Even though the match was tense, their embrace ultimately embodied love and caring relationship between the two, which was beautiful and almost sexual.