#Film Analysis: Fair Play (Netflix)

Released on 6th October 2023, Fair Play (directed by Chloe Domont and starring Phoebe Dynevor & Alden Ehrenreich) is a complex insight into gender dynamics. The plot revolves around a happy couple, Luke and Emily, who work at the same hedge fund as associates. At home, they cannot keep their hands off each other but at work, they maintain the demeanor of professional colleagues (as they cannot admit to breaking company policy). A shot at a office promotion brings out the cracks in their seemingly perfect relationship soon, and that is where the whole concept of "fair play" comes into limelight.

Initially, Luke and Emily are convinced that the former is slated for the promotion and the couple happily makes love to celebrate the yet-to-be-confirmed-news. Luke jokingly says that between Emily and the promotion, he would always choose the promotion. While Emily laughs it off, it is hinted that she knows how important his professional growth is to Luke. And when, in a turn of events, she gets the promotion that he was vying for, Emily feels guilt. She was happier when she thought Luke was getting promoted but now that she gets it, she is worried about hurting her partner's feelings rather than enjoy her own triumph. And when she tells Luke about this new development, he tries to appear cheerful. But we can clearly see that its a façade. He is just acting as he believes he is supposed to act; he is trying to be the supportive partner to Emily but he is hurt. He wanted the promotion for himself and Emily getting it means she will be his boss.

This is the first discernible difference between Luke and Emily. Luke was so confident of his promotion that he did not wait for a confirmation before celebrating. And Emily was happy for him and wanted him to savor the moment. But when the tables turned, Emily could not accept her promotion without considering the repercussions of upsetting Luke, and she was more concerned about his feelings than her own success. She says "I am sorry" to Luke because she gets the job that he was vying for. Luke assures her its not her fault and gives her a hug but the celebration of Emily's promotion is so much subdued than the previous jubilation of Luke's supposed success. It made me angry that Emily had to apologize for her achievement and she continued to be apologetic for days to come.

At work, Emily tries to push Luke for promotion as well and cannot stop talking about his skills to the bosses. But it becomes clear as the movie progresses that Luke is pretty incompetent at his job. He has made several losses for his company but is still on the payroll because he was pushed to this fund by a friend of the bosses. In fact, one of the bosses Campbell clearly states that "it will just make it easier when he (Luke) quits on his own."

Emily does not share this information with Luke and constantly tries to push him to the limelight so that the perception around him is changed. But Luke messes up again as he makes a trade without enough research and Emily is called "a dumb fucking bitch" by Campbell for encouraging Luke so much. And Emily is left to solve this mess by using her research, knowledge and experience. While she makes enough profit to cover up for the losses Luke made, he constantly berates her by questioning her decisions, her dressing, her coming home late...basically everything! Tired of being playing second fiddle to his own girlfriend at work, Luke tries to make himself feel better by putting Emily down. He says "she dresses like a cupcake and nobody would take her seriously." This comment affects Emily deeply and she feels underconfident about her appearance. She randomly goes on a shopping spree to ensure that she looks professional. But there was nothing wrong with her dressing sense to begin with. When Emily tries to hang out with the men at work, Luke calls her "a hooker" and makes fun of her for trying to fit in with her bosses. He questions her investment skills (even though its clear she is way superior than him professionally) and insinuates that she was only selected for the promotion because she is a woman.

This inherent misogyny in Luke's mind was scary to observe. On the surface, he is an educated and progressive man. But in his mind, he considers Emily's promotion an unearned one. He feels jealous and insecure when she attends work calls late into the night; he seethes when he sees her spending time with the bosses. Eventually, he demands that Emily recommend his name for a promotion (even after calling her a hooker) and does not even apologize for his comment. He just demands Emily help him because as a man, he is entitled to demand what he wants from his woman. Emily tries to save him from embarrassing himself but he goes down on his knees before Campbell and begs for a promotion. Campbell humiliates him and Luke goes away. But at home, he again vents his frustration out on Emily by disconnecting her work call, shouting at her, accusing her of "stealing his job" and calling her weak. He terrorizes her psychologically and laughably, claims that he is being "supportive" of her endeavors. The travesty is that Luke actually believes that he is being a good partner by telling Emily how to dress, how to behave, how to do her work and how to establish boundaries. But he is unaware that he is just bullying her and venting his own frustration on her under the guise of being an "encouraging partner."

And this is where Emily finally snaps. All through the film, we see that Emily is trying her best to be considerate of Luke's emotions. Aside from trying to bring him to the limelight at work, she also tries to keep their personal relationship smooth. She constantly reaches out to him, tries to communicate and ensures that she never flaunts her success in front of him. In a particularly realistic scene, Emily texts Luke that they should go out that evening. She then repeatedly overthinks how to state that she wants to give him a treat without making it obvious that she has earnt a hefty commission. She keeps typing and deleting texts as she finds it difficult to find the right words that wont shatter Luke's fragile ego ( he keeps mentioning on several occasions that he earns less than her). But Luke does not respond and Emily goes to a strip club with her male colleagues. Its not easy for her to listen to their sexist conversations or be comfortable in strip club as a woman. But Luke makes her feel so poorly about herself that she tries to find these other ways to lessen her loneliness.

When Luke claims that she is weak and he is trying to protect her, Emily finally blurts out that its "advice she never asked for" and he is the weak one as Campbell wanted to fire him. Luke rushes out of home after this, and Emily (again guilty for her words) covers for his absence at work and repeatedly apologizes to him over voicemail. We can see that she is worried for Luke and wants to save their relationship still. She even goes to the extent of agreeing that Luke is right in all his misogynistic comments. I hated to see Emily like this...repeatedly putting Luke's childish needs before her own and constantly apologizing for being the more accomplished one in this relationship.

But all her efforts go in vain as Luke barges in during an important speaks about her in the most uncouth manner. He accuses her of seeking sexual favors in return for improving his career growth (something Emily had jokingly said at their home one night) and in the evening, accuses her of sleeping with her bosses to secure a promotion in front of both their families. Emily is devastated and angry. She smashes a beer bottle on Luke's head. While violence is never a solution, we can see that Emily was pushed to the brink of frustration by Luke's behavior. She was appalled by his insinuation that she slept her way up the corporate ladder ( even when she got a scholarship at Harvard, worked at top investment firms before and published an article in Wall Street Journal at the age of 17). Emily is aghast at how her own boyfriend wants to ruin her career and reputation and rushes away from the family party. Luke follows her and continues to be disrespectful. Its now that Emily reminds him how happy she was for him when they thought that the promotion was his. She asks him why its so difficult to acknowledge that she was better at work and "why does everything depend on him being number 1?"

Unable to answer, Luke pushes her against the wall and kisses her harshly. Emily initially resists but then gives in because she still feels a tinge of affection for him. But Luke misinterprets her submissiveness and rapes her, as she repeatedly tells him to stop. Emily covers her bruises with makeup and finally determines to get rid of Luke forever. She lies to Campbell that Luke is just a stalker and she never had any personal relationship with him. Campbell reminds her to just focus on her work as Luke is terminated anyway and the HR department will brush any unpleasantness under the carpet." It is clearly implied that Campbell knew that Luke and Emily were romantically involved but does not care as long as Emily is excelling at her job and bringing in results.

A few days later, Luke turns up at their apartment to pack his bags and leave for San Francisco, where he intends to start his own firm. Even here he taunts Emily by saying "why waste my time climbing the ladder when I can just start my own firm?" He was desperate for this promotion a while back but when he did not get it, he chooses to berate Emily again. Luke also appears nonchalant about raping Emily and says "we both got carried away that night." Emily loses it at that moment and takes a knife to hurt Luke physically to show how deeply he hurt her mentally over these past few days. The physical injuries inflicted upon Luke serve as a visible manifestation of the profound emotional distress she experienced during Luke's repeated acts of terror.

Luke is forced to apologize for his behavior and actions, and finally breaks down. He admits he is "nothing" and begs Emily to take him back in her life. For a moment, Emily's expressions soften. But she is not making the same mistake again. She tells Luke to clean his blood off the floor and leave as she is "done with him now." Emily finally understands her own worth and takes control of her life, without giving in to Luke's misogyny. As Luke apologizes over and over, Emily looks on triumphantly as a way of poetic justice.

And this is exactly what I liked about the film. The multiple rules of the concept of "fair play" are subtly highlighted through the film. Fair play rules consist of respect, honesty, sportsmanship, equality, and safety in various contexts. The aim of fair play to ensure equitable treatment and positive interactions among all participants, discouraging unfair advantages and fostering a culture of inclusivity. The men in this film have difficulty abiding by these simple rules in a cut-throat competitive world. While Luke is a complete douchebag, even the men at the firm are skeptical about Emily's promotion as well. A male intern clearly states that he is glad to not have his Emily as his immediate supervisor. Campbell calls her a "dumb fucking bitch" without an iota of regret and does not even apologize for it later. Instead, he just tells Emily that this is how the finance world is. Why are men hesitant to accept that women are equally capable of delivering results in a corporate setting? Why do men find it difficult to work under a female boss? And why is it so easy for men to discount a woman's feelings without repercussions? Luke loves Emily but finds it impossible to report to her at work. And just because he cannot beat Emily at work, he uses his physical force to rape her at a restaurant washroom. He repeatedly pushes her face against the sink and shows his strength. It broke my heart to see that Emily neither had a supportive work environment and nor a loving home. At work, Campbell saw her as an efficient resource to meet targets and at home, Luke constantly accused her of multiple false charges. In the beginning of the film, Luke and Emily share a tender moment in a washroom where her periods arrive and he takes care of her so gently. But in the end, he pushes her against a wall, kisses her forcibly, injures her face and rapes her repeatedly in a similar setting. This transition from a loving boyfriend to a chauvinist, bitter man is solely because of Emily's professional success. Emily keeps apologizing and taking Luke's feelings into account all the time, but Luke does not consider apologizing for his loathsome attitude till Emily cuts him with a knife. Are the rules in this game fair? No...they are not.

There are conversations about increasing women representation at workplaces. But we don't see any other female employee till the end, when a new girl is hired in place of Luke. Emily stares at the new female associate from her cabin and wonders what this woman would go through at work and home. And Emily realizes that the game is not fair for women anywhere. Unless they stand up for themselves, nobody else will. And this is precisely why Emily does not let Luke take an easy escape to San Francisco. She injures him, makes him beg and only lets him go after an apology. Because if women wont demand it, they wont get it.

As I delved into the intricate layers of the film, I discovered how often the gender imbalance in our society is shown through the characters, their journeys, and the world they inhabit. The film serves as a reflection of our own human experience, prompting us to contemplate the power dynamics between men and women at work or home. Fair Play (Netflix) is a testament to the enduring power of cinema in offering insights into human behavior, and it acts as a mirror to our own lives, encouraging self-reflection and fostering a deeper understanding of whether the rules of life are same for women and men. Because being number 1 is still a hefty price that women pay in all spheres of life and it is not a world of fair play.