Fair Play

Directed by Chloe Domont

★★★½

I still remember the excitement I would get from watching a thriller with my Grandma in the ‘90s. Whether it was Fatal Attraction or Sleeping with the Enemy, we would always watch either a horror or a good old-fashioned thriller. And that is exactly what director Chloe Domont has on her hands with her feature debut, Fair Play.

The recent Sundance success (picked up by Netflix for a nice 20 million) follows a young couple (played by Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich) who keep their relationship a secret from their co-workers at a cutthroat financial firm in New York City. 

The synopsis reads like something we’ve seen before, but what unfolds onscreen is a slowly unnerving relationship thriller with dynamic gender politics at play. Domont (who also wrote the screenplay) weaves uncertainties and thought-provoking instances throughout the runtime. She is able to sprinkle in just enough breadcrumbs throughout the first two acts, so when the bombastic over-the-top finale hits, we aren’t too surprised by its outcome, and may even catch ourselves looking for a Glenn Close cameo that never comes.

Dynevor and Ehrenreich are strong in their roles, convincing us that this couple lusts for one another, just not quite as much as they lust for recognition. There are some really small moments that cue the audience into what the characters really mean behind their words, even if they aren’t so sure themselves. And, although not all the characters are fleshed out, we still get an annoying mom and sexist, loud-mouthed boys being boys, the leads give us more than enough to remain interested in.

Though touted as an erotic thriller, it isn’t extremely sexual, save for a few bits of dialogue and sex scenes, but it plays more like a slightly hornier, slightly less comprehensive version of The Nest, with one extremely relatable opening scene that is sure to get people talking.