Fair Play Steams Up @TIFF 2023 and Netflix

Yes, it is 2023 and there is a new type of financial drama in town. Classics such as The Wolf of Wall Street or Boiler Room once happily expressed masculinity to its fullest. There is a new sheriff in town and that is director Chloe Domont changes the narrative when it comes to financial drama films by making the woman the protagonist and lead actress. Fair Play is her feature film that premiered recently at TIFF and is soon to be released on Netflix in October. Phoebe Dynevor plays the character of Emily who is in a secretive relationship with Luke played by Alden Ehrenreich who is an analyst. They both work at the same hedge fund firm and both live together housing their steamy and fulfilling relationship.

Netflix and Chill

They do play their cards right and they hide their relationship from their co-workers and bosses. However, they are playing with fire because it goes against company policy and their strict mission and values. Are they bound to get burnt? Funny enough they wake up in the morning and get ready to go to work. When they leave their apartment together, they go their own ways until they meet back up to work. They keep it on the down low and their elevator scene reminds the audience of Tom Cruise‘s and Kelly McGillis‘ secret love affair in Top Gun. This exuberant honeymoon phase calls for their engagement and a wedding in the future.

Things start to change when Emily hears a rumour within the workplace that Luke is going to get promoted. After a few celebrations between the two, the audience finds out who really gets the promotion. Emily gets called to speak with her boss, played by Eddie Marsan, at a bar late at night. Surprisingly, she finds out that she is the one who is getting the promotion. Ever since that moment, the dynamic of their relationship changed.

Emily’s promotion and gain of power become intimidating in her workplace as she makes much more important long-term decisions for the company. She digs down within herself to make confident pitches based on the company’s history and controls the boardroom with elegance and urgency. She gets invited to the drinks after work and she quickly becomes the boss’s favourite. She’s becoming the new deputy in town.

Luke has no force

While Emily’s value has gone up, Luke’s has undoubtedly gone down still being seen at work as Emily’s analyst or “gardener” He begins to start asking those difficult existential questions about himself as he seeks online help to improve. Luke feels less valued in his relationship with Emily. He just does not initiate sex with her like he used to. Rather it is Emily who has become sexually aggressive and sleazy because of the alcohol from her after-work shenanigans. Luke’s jealousy reaches new levels because he believes his boss just wants Emily to be the eye candy with possibilities.

While the relationship between Emily and Luke is taking all the twists and turns that any couple can handle, Emily’s value is skyrocketing and even men such as Luke can’t handle it. Despite all the after-work shenanigans, Emily’s now-earned financial security has made her more confident than ever. Their relationship starts to sour further as she reveals the real reason why Luke did not get the promotion. The arguments heighten and voices are louder when the truth is told. And what do you know? Their engagement party is just right around the corner and all of the family is being invited.

Alpha Female

The narrative of Fair Play is where we are as a society today. It is where women are focusing more on their careers and gaining positions of power. It is the alpha female whose relationships with men in the workplace and at home have become dominant and less submissive. Fair Play also comments on the weakness of men such as Luke who loses confidence and his insecurities starts to show. This also affects his relationship further with Emily and his co-workers who begin to pay more attention to her. This is by far not a shot from Domont on men she reveals how men react when they lose their power with women. They become sore.

Fair Play has been touted as to have taken a page out of Adrian Lyne‘s erotic thrillers. The sex scenes are steamy in Fair Play and the female is more aggressive when it comes to initiating sex. It is not seen as being uncommon or psychotic like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. Although, it is still a power struggle between men and women when it comes to sex.

It is the narrative that has changed and the role has been reversed. Rather than having a financial drama where someone like Charlie Sheen in Wall Street or Christian Bale in American Psycho expresses toxic masculinity on film, Dumont is showing the power of a woman and her sexuality when in a position of power. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that and there is no reason as to why men should feel ashamed. There’s no doubt Phoebe Dynevor will leave you as hot and bothered as Emily. Man or woman. It’s Fair Play. FERNTV thinks it is rather neat.