Film Review: ‘Equity’ Tells a Story of Women in High Finance

Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 14, 2016 - 11:29am

CHICAGO – The key moment in “Equity” is early in the film. The main character was asked at a seminar why she got into high level finance. She paused for a second, and said “money.” The gals can be just as greedy as the guys, and their stakes in that greed can be just as exploitable.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

But this isn’t about greed as much as the madness of financial pursuit. It is portrayed as an addictive high, hard to let go of no matter how much has been added to the bank account. And there are always rivals, and at that level they’ll stop at nothing to get advantage. This is a human story created by women, and not so much a cautionary tale but a lesson in the status quo. The pacing of this story is deliberate, to a fault, yet the humanity is true. There is no evolution in competition, only the squashing of the opponent.

Naomi (Anna Gunn) is a very successful financial guru, whose specialty is taking private companies to their Initial Public Offering (IPO), and making sure their stock price generates big money. She is proud of her position, and often clashes with the volatile head of her firm, Randall (Lee Tergesen). In this business, you’re only as good as the last barrel of money you’ve generated.

There is a secret legal investigation going on regarding Naomi and the firm, and it is headed by Samantha (Alysia Reiner), who uses unusual techniques – including her own sexuality – to get vital information. As a important IPO gets closer, the heat is on Naomi, one of her associates Erin (Sarah Megan Thomas) and the people around them, including Naomi’s lover Michael (James Purefoy). 

“Equity” continued its limited release in Chicago on August 12th. See local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring Anna Gunn, James Purefoy, Sarah Megan Thomas, Alysia Reiner, Lee Tergesen and Nate Corddry. Screenplay by Amy Fox. Story by Sarah Megan Thomas and Alysia Reiner. Directed by Meera Menon. Rated “R”