Director: Meera Menon
Starring: Anna Gunn, James Purefoy, Sarah Megan Thomas, Alysia Reiner
Equity, directed by Meera Menon, stars Anna Gunn as a Wall Street capital broker who is handling a high-risk yet highly sought after role in a social media company, whilst at the same time dealing with corruption and deception from her friends, co-workers and lover.
I had a choice this week to see either Equity or The Beatles: Eight Days a Week. Due to my work schedule, I had to go with Equity. In the beauty of hindsight, I wish I had shifted my work because I made the wrong decision.
No characters learn anything or actually mean anything. Instead, they trot around talking in vague terms about finances and IPOs and clients. Equity tries to provide meaning and heart in the main cast of three female leads, but because of overwritten and dull material, these characters come off as cold and severely unlikable. In fact, no character in this entire movie has any redeeming or pleasant quality about them.
The script, written by Amy Fox, attempts the drama and complex narrative that we associate with financial thrillers, but just ends up with a flat and uneventful story that goes nowhere fast. I didn’t know who was who or why they were doing anything, and by the 45-minute mark, I had lost all interest.
Equity is interesting in that the director, writers, producers and main cast are all female – one of the reasons why it is so devastating it is not even close to a good movie. It fails to create anything compelling or worthwhile, settling for a TV movie quality that has some unique cinematography and music, but not enough legitimate storytelling or movement. Equity is just boring and bland, a waste of Anna Gunn’s time and of the viewer’s.
Words by Christopher Spencer