The power dynamics of a young relationship are examined in Director Chloe Domont’s erotic thriller, Fair Play.
Domont’s film tells the story of Emily and Luke, a young couple who find themselves tested when an unexpected promotion at the cutthroat hedge fund where they work threatens to unravel far more than their recent engagement.
On September 17, after the DGA membership screening in New York, Domont discussed the making of Fair Play during a Q&A moderated by Director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (Nyad). She also spoke about the film during a conversation moderated by Director Olivia Wilde (Don't Worry Darling) following the Los Angeles DGA membership screening on September 23.
During the New York conversation, Domont spoke about creating the sense of pressure and tension for the film.
“I had this saying when we were shooting and it was, ‘Fuck breath.’ I wanted to make a movie that would slowly strangle the audience and, in the end, just absolutely choke them out. Once the conflict starts, I didn't want to let in any bit of air because I was going for this ballooning tension and you don't know when it's going to pop. So, we set out to make this pressure cooker. Every choice starting with the camera direction. I wanted to create these tense lingering shots where each of them feels small or big in the frame. I wanted it to become like a reflection of the character's worst fears. They both know that there's like an impending doom on this relationship but refuse to face it. So, the slow push-ins on them or the shots kind of coming behind her head, it's like the weight of the end is there in the air like an elephant that they both refuse to address. I told my sound designers, ‘I want you to design this one like a horror film.’”
Fair Play is Domont’s feature directing debut. Her other directorial credits include episodes of Billions, Ballers, Suits, Shooter, Clarice and Star Trek: Discovery. She has been a DGA member since 2017.