Chloe Domont has directed several TV shows. This is her feature debut. It follows a young woman, as she balances her personal life and her work life, which in this case coincide and clash with one another in very dramatic fashion. There are several themes that can be lifted from this film. One such theme involves workplace romances and how one should navigate them. When the film begins, it's not clear what the film is about. Yet, it does open on a very romantic note, but that note does in a way set the tone for how things will go. It's not a horror film, but there's a bloody incident that could be a hint of where things are headed. It's also a perfect moment, if Domont wanted to establish an erotic thriller on the level of something like Disclosure (1994), but Domont isn't working on as melodramatic or as histrionic a stage as that 1994 flick. Domont is instead more Neo-realistic.
Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton and Younger) stars as Emily Meyers, an investment banker in New York City. She actually works as a financial analyst at One Crest Capital. She's very good at her job. She's very smart and sharp when it comes to investing in companies or divesting in them. She also seems to be the only woman of her kind at One Crest Capital, and a lot of this film is about how she's the lone female. Sexism and misogyny are underlying the narrative, as we watch Emily enter that minefield in order to succeed in this male-dominated environment.
Alden Ehrenreich (Oppenheimer and Solo: A Star Wars Story) co-stars as Luke Edmunds, a fellow analyst at One Crest Capital. He's not very good at his job. He's up for a promotion, but the question is if he deserves it or not. In his mind, he does, but there is no evidence for that. All of his financial decisions end in the company losing millions. Yet, he feels so entitled that when he doesn't get the promotion, it bothers him, especially when it goes to a woman, the woman he's secretly dating. It might be anecdotal, but there have been several examples of women dating men who can't handle that the woman is more successful and makes more money. Luke appears to be one of those men.
Domont is a sharp writer and excels in putting us in the heads of both characters and having us understand both perspectives. The performances are superb and we feel each person's point-of-view. Domont is also able to convey the external pressures and perhaps the weight of the outside world. Yet, Domont's film is also incredibly intimate. There are numerous scenes in bathrooms. One of which has the characters fresh out the shower and shows some skin, but otherwise the protagonists don't have much nudity. There are intense sexual moments and a lot of it is in the faces of the two, reinforcing the intimacy that way.
Another incident occurs toward the end that underlines what is really at stake when sex and work collide, as well as when love and power collide. This incident takes us away from any issues regarding a workplace romance and the problems that can spring from there. The incident is powerful in that it reveals the dynamic and the dysfunction between the characters. However, it brought me back to a line that Emily says toward the middle of the film. To paraphrase, she spouts that she doesn't defecate where she eats.
The rules about workplace romances being discouraged or being fully reported are there for a reason. Domont's narrative could function as a cautionary tale. While it might not end on a romantic note, I wouldn't say it's totally tragic. There is a dynamic about power in a relationship, who has it and who doesn't, as well as who's weak and who's not. At a moment, when one character has had power taken away, this film ends with that character taking it back, which was thrilling to see on screen.
Rated R for pervasive language, sex, nudity and violence.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 55 mins.
Available on Netflix.
