September 29, 2023
FILM: FAIR PLAY
DIRECTED BY: CHLOE DOMONT
STARRING: PHOEBE DYNEVOR, ALDEN EHRENREICH, EDDIE MARSAN
RATING: 3 ½ OUT OF 4 STARS
By Dan Pal
Fair Play was sold to Netflix for $20 million after its strong reception at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. While we may never totally understand how such a company feels it can warrant spending so much money on a drama directed by a woman mostly known for television work, there’s no question that this is an incredibly powerful piece of work that builds to one of the best climaxes I’ve seen in a while.
The film stars Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton, Younger) as Emily, an analyst at a hedge fund who has recently gotten engaged to a colleague named Luke, played by Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caesar!, Solo: A Star Wars Story.) Their relationship is passionate but hidden from family and their cutthroat office. They enter their workplace barely acknowledging each other. When a Project Manager is fired, rumors swirl that Luke will be getting the position as a promotion. However, it is Emily who succeeds, leading to a shift in the power dynamic between the two characters.
At first the film feels like a fairly quiet, big money drama centering on the mostly male centric world in which it exists. That is certainly a part of the story. The focus though is mainly on the effect Emily’s promotion has on the couple. We begin to see Emily’s stature rise while Luke looks on attempting to show support for his fiancé at home and at the office. Then the calm exterior begins to unravel. We witness Luke’s slow descent into frustration and jealousy. Emily dominates while Luke feels emasculated. This leads to intense confrontations that build as the rumblings under the surface wait to explode.
Major credit has to be given to both actors who so effectively shed the stoicism that has played such a significant role in each character’s drive toward success. Since this is a mostly male centric world, Emily has to play the game with the big boys, taking late night phone calls and joining the guys out at a strip club where women are seen as nothing more than sex objects. Meanwhile Luke has taken on the traditionally more subservient role. Both actors skillfully reveal the various changes that are occurring within the characters until the lid cannot be left on the boiling pot any longer.
Of course, the tension that is produced is mostly due to the brilliant script and direction by Chloe Domont. Her pacing is initially very subtle and perhaps a bit languid, but then she allows for an escalation that we can only assume might be coming given how a minor character is fired in full view of his co-workers as he succumbs to his anger and begins trashing his office. Such a scene foreshadows what might be to come later in the film as various hopes and dreams are dashed. Domont clearly knows how to push the narrative and characters over an edge that goes to places we might all fear we could go if in similar situations.
Like classic films such as Wall Street and the recently released Dumb Money, filmmakers are often interested in the lure of money and power. Rarely though are these stories told from the perspective of a couple that are equally caught up in the potentials of both. Domont creates an incredible emotional and physical struggle here. Words fly big time as do sexual acts to reflect the release of the extreme tension. This leads to one of the most harsh and riveting climaxes yet featuring an enterprising couple, the expectations for their gender roles, and the fragility of such a relationship when money and power overtake any love that might exist within them.
This is one of the best films of the year.
Fair Play opens in select theatres today. It will be available for streaming on Netflix on October 6th.
FILM: FAIR PLAY
DIRECTED BY: CHLOE DOMONT
STARRING: PHOEBE DYNEVOR, ALDEN EHRENREICH, EDDIE MARSAN
RATING: 3 ½ OUT OF 4 STARS
By Dan Pal
Fair Play was sold to Netflix for $20 million after its strong reception at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. While we may never totally understand how such a company feels it can warrant spending so much money on a drama directed by a woman mostly known for television work, there’s no question that this is an incredibly powerful piece of work that builds to one of the best climaxes I’ve seen in a while.
The film stars Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton, Younger) as Emily, an analyst at a hedge fund who has recently gotten engaged to a colleague named Luke, played by Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caesar!, Solo: A Star Wars Story.) Their relationship is passionate but hidden from family and their cutthroat office. They enter their workplace barely acknowledging each other. When a Project Manager is fired, rumors swirl that Luke will be getting the position as a promotion. However, it is Emily who succeeds, leading to a shift in the power dynamic between the two characters.
At first the film feels like a fairly quiet, big money drama centering on the mostly male centric world in which it exists. That is certainly a part of the story. The focus though is mainly on the effect Emily’s promotion has on the couple. We begin to see Emily’s stature rise while Luke looks on attempting to show support for his fiancé at home and at the office. Then the calm exterior begins to unravel. We witness Luke’s slow descent into frustration and jealousy. Emily dominates while Luke feels emasculated. This leads to intense confrontations that build as the rumblings under the surface wait to explode.
Major credit has to be given to both actors who so effectively shed the stoicism that has played such a significant role in each character’s drive toward success. Since this is a mostly male centric world, Emily has to play the game with the big boys, taking late night phone calls and joining the guys out at a strip club where women are seen as nothing more than sex objects. Meanwhile Luke has taken on the traditionally more subservient role. Both actors skillfully reveal the various changes that are occurring within the characters until the lid cannot be left on the boiling pot any longer.
Of course, the tension that is produced is mostly due to the brilliant script and direction by Chloe Domont. Her pacing is initially very subtle and perhaps a bit languid, but then she allows for an escalation that we can only assume might be coming given how a minor character is fired in full view of his co-workers as he succumbs to his anger and begins trashing his office. Such a scene foreshadows what might be to come later in the film as various hopes and dreams are dashed. Domont clearly knows how to push the narrative and characters over an edge that goes to places we might all fear we could go if in similar situations.
Like classic films such as Wall Street and the recently released Dumb Money, filmmakers are often interested in the lure of money and power. Rarely though are these stories told from the perspective of a couple that are equally caught up in the potentials of both. Domont creates an incredible emotional and physical struggle here. Words fly big time as do sexual acts to reflect the release of the extreme tension. This leads to one of the most harsh and riveting climaxes yet featuring an enterprising couple, the expectations for their gender roles, and the fragility of such a relationship when money and power overtake any love that might exist within them.
This is one of the best films of the year.
Fair Play opens in select theatres today. It will be available for streaming on Netflix on October 6th.