Fair Play (2023)

Fair Play is the epitome of the modern depiction of feminine rage. Far too often in film, this rage is portrayed as a woman silently fuming, with a single tear rolling down her cheek. In reality, women do not sit idly by and keep their emotions bottled inside. Women can and often do scream, hurt, and rage at the people and things at the source of their suffering.

Despite society labelling women as soft, vulnerable, and weak, women have had to learn to be resilient to navigate a sexist world. This endurance is crucial to deal with a life of being told how to look, what to do, what not to do, and how to dress. Women also have to learn prioritization, and when to fight battles because over time there are just too many and it’s often easier to pick the ones that “matter most."

In the face of inappropriate comments and actions from men, women have learned the art of pressing forward without creating a "scene." Even in today's workplace, women find themselves fighting to be regarded as equals to their male counterparts, yearning for a fraction of the respect automatically accorded to men. Fair Play skillfully captures this ongoing struggle, underscoring the stark reality that women must battle harder to attain the same goals as their male counterparts.

Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) is a woman in finance who finds herself in a tricky position after being promoted over her fiancé, Luke (Alden Ehrenreich). She is given the position he had assumed would be his. A monumental shift occurs in their relationship due to the new power dynamic, inevitably leading to its unraveling. Once she receives her promotion, Luke cannot wrap his head around the idea that she got this job simply because she is better than him. Instead, he convinces himself that she obtained the promotion by providing a sexual favor to their boss.

The finance world is already an inhospitable environment for women; her colleagues are constantly seizing opportunities to prove how useless she is. Now, on top of the stress of a new promotion and everything she has to endure from her peers, the person who is supposed to support her the most and root for her success is doing everything he can to tear her down and ruin her chances of achieving her goals.

When the audience is first introduced to Emily and Luke, there seems to be a lack of chemistry between the two actors. There are no sparks or sexual tension, and it appears as if they share a secret dislike for each other. However, as the film progresses, their dynamic begins to make more sense. On some level, these two characters harbor disdain for each other, and it becomes increasingly apparent as Emily excels in her new position. Initially, Luke appears to make an effort by providing thorough analyses for Emily, but soon he encourages her to make rash decisions, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in the stock market. It is at this moment that the audience realizes Emily is truly on her own and has lost all support from Luke.

From the start, Fair Play feels mildly unsettling. A young couple, Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) and Emily (Phoebe Dynevor), clearly drunk, are making out in a restroom while avoiding a marriage gathering they were invited to. Luke attempts to perform oral sex on Emily, but gets blood on his face. Clearly this is from Emily's unexpected period. While rummaging through his pockets, he drops a ring on the floor. “What the hell is that?” Emily asks. Luke recovers the ring and somewhat awkwardly faces Emily and proposes to her. Emily says, "You’re drunk.” Luke says, “I thought of it before I was drunk.” Emily accepts.

There is a lot of drinking in this film. In the form of orders at the bar, and half drunk bottles on the living room floor. I was surprised by how prevalent it was. These characters work in the financial sector, a high pressure setting with a lot of money at stake which justifies this imbibing of potent spirits to some extent. In the context of the film, alcohol played a huge role in Luke and Emily’s lives. It acts as a way for them to relieve stress, but also as a way to suppress the more problematic thoughts and feelings that put a relationship at risk.

Drinking hides the truth.It allows them to avoid the problems in their partnership.But issues abound and threaten to bubble up and explode in a mess of jealousy and rage.All the signs are there in the first scene.The audience feels the unspoken tension, despite their normalized drunken behavior acting as a mask.

It’s not just drinking, however.Luke and Emily live together and work for the same hedge fund.We assume it’s how they met each other.They keep their relationship a secret from their coworkers.They commute to work separately and have minimal conversation at the office.At first, it seems like they have the entire situation under control.

Then there’s a job opening at the firm.Emily overhears her co-workers talking about Luke likely being the one who gets the position.They celebrate that night together by drinking, assuming Luke has the position locked. However, senior management end up hiring Emily instead.