12/12 ForReel Score | 5/5 Stars

Some of the most captivating directorial debuts in my opinion come from the likes of Richard Kelly with Donnie Darko, Jordan Peele’s Nope, Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, and Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Having such a refined and distinct vision with one's first film is a remarkable accomplishment for any filmmaker, which seems increasingly rare in this day and age. It is for this reason that writer/director Chloe Domont's feature film debut Fair Play captivated me so greatly. Her precision, attention to detail, and confidence made the film such an enthralling experience. I went in with little to no information about the film, so it was such an unexpected pleasure and - dare I say - my favorite of this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Fair Play tells the story of how a young couple's relationship gets tested by an unexpected promotion at a cutthroat hedge fund. Over the course of the film, it becomes increasingly more difficult for Emily (Phoebe Dynevor, Bridgerton) and new fiance Luke (Alden Ehrenreich, Stoker) to keep their relationship a secret. True natures are exposed and doubt is cast upon everything they thought they knew about one another. In the throes of their crumbling relationship, the film also perfectly unpacks men’s unapologetic misogyny in a serious yet darkly comedic way.

Initially, I expected the story to take a certain more playful course, however, after it did not, I became very aware that we were heading in a much more deviant direction. Through the course of the film's 113 minute runtime, the pacing remains engaging. The tension is always building and ever changing, never wasting a minute or repeating a plot point. Like a pot coming to a boil, the film slowly becomes more and more unsettling until it is almost unbearable. Although we want to applaud Emily as her industrious ambition propels her up the ladder, it is disconcerting to see Luke's untamed jealousy plunge him into a deeply disturbing situation.

In a way, Luke embodies the real jerks of the world who hide behind bleeding heart personas. In film, it is all too common to present malicious men and their heinous actions as one dimensional caricatures. Even the little things, like the way he questions Emily’s choice in clothing or her approach in talking to other men act as a great indicator to how fraile his ego really is. Ehrenreich holds real power in the role. In what could have been simply a tale of a good boy gone bad, he becomes a portrayal of male fragility that is truly evil.

Dynevor is a true star in the making - destined for greatness. Her presence transfixed me from the very first moment. This I say with my whole chest: audiences are not ready for her. Dynevor dominates every last second of screen time and delivers one of the most intoxicating performances. It is remarkable to watch Emily as she is forced to morph her professional persona into the very problematic coworkers she despises in order to achieve success. As this bleeds into her personal life, her performance becomes even more galvanizing. In spite of Domont's challenging screenplay, she manages to prevail with such ease. I would not be surprised if she receives some award recognition for this performance.

The tonal precision of Domont's debut is exceptional. The cinematography and the sound design speaks to the emotional states of the characters, bringing their fears to the forefront and exposing their internal war. Domont’s attention to even the smallest of details reinforces her sharp script. It's the little things that speak volumes. Like when Emily tries to inform her mother about her promotion and engagement, but she is too preoccupied with yelling at the barking dog to give Emily her full attention. It tells the audience everything we need to know about their relationship. Showing the couple's everyday routine in such detail as they prepare for their workday allows us to sense the weight these small changes have on both characters. Domont’s slick precision during an early scene at the office when a coworker is fired feels akin to if David Fincher directed an episode of HBO’s Industry. It is remarkable how clear her vision is.

I’ll admit it was a joyous feeling knowing that Fair Play was one of the lucky films to find a distributor so quickly into the festival, selling for $20 million, however it was a bit of a let down to hear that the winning bid was from Netflix. Despite the fact I believe the film will have a wider audience on the streaming platform, with Dynevor's major fanbase coming from Netflix's Bridgerton, this is the kind of film that craves a theatrical experience. The anxiety of my theater fed into this devious thriller and heightened my viewing experience. Additionally, based on conversations I had during the festival, I believe that being on streaming will make it much easier for a large number of men to dismiss the film. Many viewers seemed to be a little too empathetic towards Ehrenreich's character and felt sympathy for his fall from grace. With a great deal of these men turning on the director rather than the character when Luke reaches the point of being utterly unredeemable. I think this is a film audiences need to sit with, away from distractions, left to squirm in their seats.

Domont draws blood in the first and last scenes of the film, making an excellent play on the change in power structure.The thriller subtlety leans into the genre, tackling gender roles and microaggressions, especially in the workplace, to shine a light on an ugliness

that is too often normalized. No other film from Sundance has stuck with me quite like Fair Play. Domont has crafted a brilliant tense experience that audiences won’t soon forget.

SUNDANCE 2023 | Movie Review: "Fair Play"; In-Office Romance Turns Into Industry Warfare