Sundance Review: FAIR PLAY Is Gripping Financial Drama That Pits a Couple Against Each Other
Fair Play opens with the very attractive couple, Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich), getting engaged. They are obviously madly in love, have a great relationship, and share a great apartment. What could possibly go wrong?
We cleverly see them heading to work the next morning, taking separate routes. But when they show up at the same office, a fast-paced investment firm, we learn that they are secretly dating against company policy and no one can know they’re together, let alone engaged. Soon enough, their fun, sexy secret is jeopardized when a promotion opens up and despite rumors that Luke will get it, the promotion ends up going to Emily, who is now Luke’s boss. Tension builds as Luke becomes insecure and jealous and Emily’s loyalty to Luke is pitted against her loyalty to her own career.
I absolutely loved the dynamic that evolves between Emily and Luke. It’s very similar to films like Basic Instinct and Disclosure, but with a more contemporary angle that questions what masculinity really means in this age of feminism and equality in the workplace. As the story progresses, we learn about the two very different paths that Emily and Luke took to end up in the same place, and what happens when Luke’s entitlement and belief in his own exceptionalism gets the best of him.
Fair Play could have easily come off as overly serious and preachy, but the voyeuristic focus on Emily and Luke’s relationship is extremely entertaining and easy to watch. It’s dramatic, absurd, and at times violent. This is definitely not one you’ll want to miss!
The movie sold at Sundance to Netflix for $20 million dollars, which is a huge deal. It might be the biggest buy from the festival this year.
The description from Sundance reads:
Hot off the heels of their new engagement, thriving New York couple Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) can’t get enough of each other. When a coveted promotion at a cutthroat financial firm arises, supportive exchanges between the lovers begin to sour into something more sinister. As the power dynamics irrevocably shift in their relationship, Luke and Emily must face the true price of success and the unnerving limits of ambition.
In her explosive feature debut, writer-director Chloe Domont weaves a taut psychological thriller, unflinchingly staring down the destructive gender dynamics that pit partners against each other in a world that is transforming faster than the rules can keep up. Dynevor and Ehrenreich deliver commanding performances as a couple whose romance hardens into ruthlessness when stakes climb higher than even the volatile fortunes of their clients. With razor-sharp precision in its writing and tense cinematography, Fair Play unravels the uncomfortable collision of empowerment and ego.
