Fair Play Movie Review: The ‘Foul Play’ Of Office Romance

About Fair Play

The difference between the opening and ending sequences of Netflix’s Fair Play is so jarring. The racy thriller by Chloe Domont opens with the joy of an engagement, while Fair Play’s ending just leaves you unsettled at the resolution. The tense drama is led by the fantastic Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich who grab viewers into their worlds and make you feel for their characters.

Fair Play: Narrative

Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) work together in a high-profile Wall Street finance firm. Secretly, they have been in a relationship for two years, which is prohibited at work. But the couple are madly in love with one another, or so we assume.

All it takes is a promotion to come between them. The shift happens quite suddenly as Emily is now in a position of power at work, upsetting the balance between them. Luke is shown to be more suspicious, and Emily grows more anxious and guilty. This uneasy dynamic builds up and up until it explodes.

Fair Play: Direction

Chloe Domont’s feature directorial debut grabs you in immediately. The filmmaker also shapes Fair Play, almost like a horror film in the second half, as tensions run high between Emily and Luke. Chloe uses an edgy score that lifts the atmosphere between them. The conversations between the couple are increasingly strained and they grow to an eventual boiling point.

Fair Play: Acting

Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor is magnificent as the unapologetic Emily. That last scene alone should get her nominated for some awards next year. Meanwhile, Alden Ehrenreich has the more unlikeable part, and he lets Luke’s wounds fester over time, always believing himself to be the aggrieved party. After a while, Fair Play is more about the games Emily and Luke play with one another, trying to elicit a reaction. The self-destruction between them becomes hard to watch, but like a car accident, you look on.

The power struggle is also reflected in their sex life as Luke withdraws affection from Emily. Both actors convey these very difficult emotions in a nuanced manner. Eddie Marsan is also commanding as the firm’s top boss who shows favourites early on.

Fair Play: Critique

Fair Play, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, plays out the glorious dissolution of a relationship. The manner in which it falls apart is quite disconcerting. The scenes in the office that illustrate Emily’s loneliness as the only woman in the all-boys club also leave a mark. The difference when Emily is with them to when Luke is amongst them is telling as well.

Chloe Domont’s handling of the misogyny Emily has to face both at work and with Luke is so striking. And Phoebe Dynevor displays so many conflicting emotions on her face as she processes each situation.

Fair Play has an ending that will leave people talking and it’s a scene that can be used for analysis over and over in gender studies. It’s not just the perceptions men and women have in relationship; it’s also about respect and assertion of where they see each other in today’s modern world. Fair Play is a must watch, don’t miss it!

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