Equity

Overview

Odds are you might not have heard much about director Meera Menon's latest film, Equity. It's a story about the plight of women on Wall Street, written by and funded by women. It's not as glamorous as The Wolf of Wall Street, nor as dramatic as Wall Street. But then again, maybe that's the point.

Anna Gunn plays Naomi Bishop, who is basically just Skylar White if she was on Wall Street instead of the Albuquerque 'burbs. The story begins just after Bishop botches a major IPO ('initial public offering' for your info – don't be that guy, Googling during the movie). Bishop is a ball breakin', money lovin' banker who needs a big win to secure a promotion and gain back her colleagues' confidence. Her specialty is finding Silicon Valley tech start-ups and hand holding them through their IPO. It's slow burning narrative, with a focus on the developing relationship between Bishop and her protégé Erin Manning (Samantha Megan Thomas). All the while the fabric is being poked by Samantha Ryan (Alysia Reiner), a detective looking into allegations of insider trading.

Don't be deceived by the Wall Street veneer. At the heart of this film is a tale as old as time – women getting dicked around at work. The story is about gender politics, morality, feminism and the difficult paths that women tread while navigating a world dominated by men. It's gritty in the sense that it's often ugly and mundane. Anna Gunn is great – although not particularly sympathetic – as the picture's driven protagonist. The rest of the cast, meanwhile, offer subtle and realistic representations of womanhood that are so sorely lacking in other films.

With an all-female production team, including its trio of writers, Equity circumvents other problematic patterns too. You won't find any romantic dramas at the centre of the female character's lives. There's no pointless nudity, and we're glad to say that the film passes the Bechdel test with flying colours. But perhaps most refreshing, Equity doesn't use the female cast and crew angle to drum up any brownie points. Instead it just walks the walk, unapologetically giving jobs, screen time and funding to a mostly female cohort. It's a feminist film in every sense of the word.