I’ve been curious about Fair Play since it debuted at Sundance early in the year, which was a critical smash and caused a bidding war between a half dozen companies. Glad to see another female filmmaker’s directorial debut getting a lot of attention this year. Netflix reportedly shelled out $20 million for it, which will have its international premiere at TIFF next month.

Written and directed by Chloe Domont, Fair Play centers around Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich), a pair of financial analysts who are engaged in a relationship forbidden by their shared employer. But when one of them gets an unexpected promotion, their relationship gets pushed to the brink, threatening to unravel far more than their recent engagement. 

What’s notable is that the film is not based on a book or existing IP, but an original story inspired by Domont’s own life. Per Tudum’s website, she’s quoted as saying “I wanted to reckon with some unresolved feelings I had in the past, specifically dating men who I felt were threatened by either my ambition or any little bits of accomplishments… These dynamics should no longer be normalized,” 

The casting of Dynevor and Ehrenreich intrigues me. While they’re not big names (not yet) but they sure are talented and have done high-profile projects (Netflix’s Bridgerton and SOLO, respectively). Based on the stellar reviews and sexy appeal of the movie, I think this one just could be their big break. Nice to see veteran actor Eddie Marsan play the hedge-fun boss as he’s often relegated to stock characters. I also recognize Sebastian de Souza who played Sandro Botticelli in Netflix’s underrated series Medici.

Domont has directed episodes of corporate-set series like Suits and Billions, the latter is a complex drama about power politics in the world of New York high finance, so this is definitely right up her alley. I’m even more intrigued by the fact that Rian Johnson and his longtime producing parting Ram Bergman are listed as executive producers here.

The film currently holds a 90% Rotten Tomatoes rating from 81 reviews, and the RT summary says ‘With [an] assured style that’s at times reminiscent of the best ’90s nail-biting thrillers, Fair Play juxtaposes premarital disharmony with greed and gender politics in the cutthroat finance world.’ The trailer definitely gives a 90s-thriller vibe, it reminds me of Disclosure (1994) starring Michael Douglas and Demi Moore. 

This steamy, tension-filled trailer promises something electrifying, I can’t wait to watch it!

FAIR PLAY will be released in Select Theaters on September 29 and drops on Netflix on October 13.

What did you think of this trailer?