Fair Play

Available on Netflix

This feature debut from promising writer-director Chloe Domont has been likened to the sort of erotic thrillers that very briefly characterised 1990s cinema. However, unlike flicks such as Basic Instinct or Fatal Attraction, Domont’s film is generally characterised by a realism that is befitting of its subject matter, that being workplace misogyny and spousal jealousy.

Fair Play is focused on a young couple (played impressively by Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor) whose relationship unravels when one of them receives an unexpected promotion at the hedge fund firm for whom they both work. Their gradual uncoupling provides the film with a palpable air of tension that is felt most keenly during its opening act, when Ehrenreich’s character attempts to insincerely support his partner, despite the fact that he is smarting at his own perceived professional misfortune.

It’s disappointing to see Domont’s screenplay come apart at the seams as rapidly as it does, with its final act seemingly more concerned with shocking its audiences through acts of gratuitous violence than it is honouring the preceding tone of the film. This misstep is best characterised by a deeply unpleasant sexual assault scene which, whilst sadly believable, feels like an unnecessary turn of events, given that the motif of the picture is by that point already well established.

Nonetheless, Fair Play is timely enough to provoke worthwhile conversations about the vast amount of work that still needs to be done to positively redefine contemporary gender politics and make men more accountable for their actions. It’s just a shame that it has to resort to such nastiness to make its point.