Fair Game on Netflix: Is This Chilling Psychological Thriller Based on a True Story?

Director Chloe Domont’s first feature film, the psychological thriller Fair Play explores gender dynamics in the job market through the story of an ambitious couple in the highly competitive world of investment funds.

Emily (Phoebe Dinevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) are analysts working for the same company in the same open space. Their relationship is secret within the scope of work, but it is serious, solid and goes back a long time.

They move in together, fall madly in love, and decide to get engaged after Luke’s impromptu proposal. However, shortly after this engagement, an unexpected promotion allowed Emily to rise through the ranks, just when Luke thought she was meant for her.

The result is an increasingly tense situation in the couple, fueled by jealousy, insecurity, and what remains between the two gradually crumbles.

The film examines Emily and Luke’s relationship and provides a sobering analysis of gender roles in heterosexual couples, persistent societal sexism, and how it all affects a woman’s career. Flawless performances by Phoebe Dinevor and Alden Ehrenreich enhance the film’s very realistic approach to such heavy subject matter.

But is this story, so realistic and so well told, just pure fiction? We have the right to ask ourselves a question, here is the answer!

Is Fair Play based on a true story?

The film was directed by Chloé Domont, with the aim of portraying gender-based power dynamics, a dynamic that is deeply rooted in our society.

Through the tumultuous relationship between Emily and Luke, the story offers a case study of the fate of a modern woman who succeeds in thriving in a patriarchal system that affects every corner of her life.

Although the exact situation depicted in the film is fictional, Chloe Domont used her own experiences to tell the story. He chose to emphasize the connection between the emancipation of women and the weakness of men. A problem that – and he realized this to his cost – is universal, but which we never talk about.

“This movie was a real look at some of the experiences I had in the past, and it came out of a feeling I had at a certain time in my life when my career was starting and my success wasn’t complete. Winning, but also losing on some level“- Chloe Domont explains during the video interview CineXpress.

“And it’s because of the type of relationships I’ve had“, continues the filmmaker.These relationships with men who admired my strengths, my ambitions, and my talents, but who, at the same time, felt threatened. And I think the most important thing is that we should never talk about it.

I think it was something we were both afraid to admit, you know? So I normalized it and continued to experience it, which made me realize how powerful these entrenched power dynamics still are today. So I wanted to bring it to the screen“.

Chloe Domont’s personal experience thus explains the powerful and realistic way in which the director portrays Emily’s difficulties. The story has an intrinsic authenticity that many viewers can relate to.

Additionally, the assumption that career success negatively impacts women’s personal lives is a well-documented phenomenon and supported by some research. Article published on the site BBC There was a lot of buzz in 2020 highlighting the connection between the advancement of women and the resulting divorce rate.

According to the paper, married heterosexual women were twice as likely to divorce after being promoted to CEO than men…

In Fair Play, Chloé Domont focuses on one such case that perfectly captures the intense and progressive pressures of the situation through the thriller genre. Therefore, even though the characters and events themselves are not based on true events, the film tries to shed light on the issue that is.

The result is a very relevant film full of social and societal conversations that matter.