Fair Play

UK Release Date. 6 October 2023
Certification. 18
Running Time. 1 hour 53 mins
Director. Chloe Domont
Cast. Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich, Eddie Marsan.
Rating. 55%

Review.

In the months since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2023, Fair Play, the debut feature from Chloe Domont [who cut her teeth on television series such as Shooter, Suits and Ballers] has been labelled an erotic thriller, in the same vein as Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct or Eyes Wide Shut. To compare it to those films, though, feels like a misrepresentation. While sex plays a prominent part, its importance to Fair Play's plot is slight compared to the role that gender dynamics and workplace politics play in the disruption of the central relationship. 

The principal characters in the film are a young couple working together at a cutthroat hedge fund business in New York. The trouble is that Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) are secretly engaged - a tension only aggravated when their boss, Campbell (a malevolent Eddie Marsan), unexpectedly promotes Emily ahead of Luke. From there, the disintegration of Emily and Luke's relationship accelerates. Luke soon descends into a world of misogynistic manipulation as his perceived emasculation intensifies. Whilst, Ehrenreich is convincing enough as a male whose level of entitlement means he can't quite accept his own mediocrity, Dynevor is the standout, balancing Emily's vulnerability with steely resolve.

Technically, Fair Play is an adroit debut with quality production and striking visuals. Even more impressive is the portrayal of the most fleeting of glances, momentary pauses, misinterpretations, and insecurities that can inspire doubt in a relationship - either romantically or professionally. It is in these intimate moments when Domont's writing and direction feel at their most precise. 

Where the film falters is with the ambition of the screenplay. At the mid-point of the film, once the dysfunctional nature of the relationship has reached disastrous heights, the film begins stretching towards a conclusion that is far too concrete and not in keeping with the preceding events. The disappointing third act, scarcely credible character arcs and abrupt, one-note finale produce an immensely underwhelming conclusion.