Netflix's Newest Erotic Thriller

October 13th, 2023

By: Isabelle Babcock

Fair play is an erotic thriller written and directed by Chloe Demont. I have to say, other than Netflix's new movie ‘Fair play’ I have never seen a movie directed by Chole Demont before and I am kind of happy about it. This film was to say the least, unique, chilling, and genius. After watching this film, I was honestly left in complete shock. ‘Fair Play’ so brutally shows the realities of a toxic, abusive, adult relationship. What pulled me to watch this film was because the actor Phoebe Dynevor plays the main character, Emily. I loved her performance in the tv show Bridgerton and wanted to see her in a different role. Phoebe's performance completely blew my expectations out of the water. Her range as an address is phenomenal. Not to mention her ability to speak so clearly in an American accent when her natural accent is British. This astonished me.

The way in which this movie was filmed made me feel like I was intruding on someone's private life. This is what I love to see in movies because it creates such a powerful, real, and raw feeling to the viewers. The conversations were so natural and at some points it felt I was not watching actors, but rather a reality tv show. I also want to touch on the lighting that was used in the film. The lighting in the scenes, particularly when the characters were in the office, at their apartment, or in a bathroom, was so dim and depressing. This really played into the mood of the film creating a creepy and depressing atmosphere. The repetitiveness of the alarm going off each morning along with the sounds of the trains that highlighted the characters commuting to work each day was so beautifully and intentionally placed. This aspect really helped capture the reality of repetitiveness in people's everyday lives and the sadness within the characters in the film.

‘Fair Play’ is the type of movie I would only watch once. This is due to the heavy domestic violence, both verbal and sexual. It was hard to watch certain scenes, and I do NOT recommend watching this film if that is a trigger for you. As for the cinematography aspect, I do believe the film was crafted beautifully and I applaud Chloe Demont for her brilliance. The play on words concerning the title “Fair Play” really comes together at the end of the film. Watching the bathroom scene at the beginning of the film vs the bathroom scene at the end of the film showcased insane contrast and symbolism. I also noticed the importance of blood in the film. If you watch how blood plays a role throughout the film, it is quite perfectly placed and offers an uncomfort I am sure us viewers were meant to feel. Now I will not spoil the ending, but I will say that the last scene of the film really surprised me and terrified me. While the ending is satisfying, I would not consider it a fairytale happy ending.

One thing that shocked me about the plot was that this whole film took place within one week. Witnessing how these characters change and how their relationship went from 0 to 100 so incredibly fast was thrilling. I loved how accurately a relationship of this type was portrayed. ‘Fair Play’ tossed aside all the fake parts of relationships that are mainly portrayed in film, and really emphasized the dark and gritty parts that people do not usually see. I thought it was cinematically beautiful.