2016 Directed by Meera Menon
Senior investment banker Naomi Bishop’s world of high-power big money is brutal and fierce, and one she thrives in. When a controversial IPO threatens the fragile balance of power and confidentiality, Naomi finds herself entangled in a web of politics and deception.
Anna Gunn James Purefoy Sarah Megan Thomas Alysia Reiner Sophie von Haselberg Craig Bierko Lee Tergesen Margaret Colin Carrie Preston Michael Izquierdo Nate Corddry Nick Gehlfuss Samuel Roukin Tracie Thoms James Naughton Roe Hartrampf Carolyn McCormick David Alan Basche Joseph Siravo Samrat Chakrabarti Purva Bedi Ali Ahn Meghan Rafferty Jennifer Butler Jeanine Bartel Kyle Beltran Neil Baltus Jonathan Fredrick
Politics and human rights Thrillers and murder mysteries High speed and special ops Crime, drugs and gangsters terrorism, thriller, gripping, intense or political political, democracy, president, documentary or propaganda gambling, casino, unpredictable, engaging or drama marriage, drama, family, emotional or emotion cops, murder, thriller, detective or crime Show All…
Here’s the thing: The idea of a “strong female character” is not a moral determination. Katniss Everdeen, protagonist of the “Hunger Games” saga, may be a strong female character, but that’s not because she’s a hero — it’s not because she’s possessed with an infallible sense of virtue and a Christ-like selflessness that defies any reasonable human standard. By the same token, slathering Scarlett Johansson in spandex and having her fight alongside Iron Man doesn’t make Black Widow a strong female character either, no matter how many asses she kicks.
The strength of a role has nothing to do with decency, and everything to do with depth.
An interesting drama that could have reached higher notes if it only dared to be more.
You know a movie has to be (somewhat) basic if they use comic sans for its title sequence.
We seem to have hit a point where the phrase "strong female character" is too easily glanced over. What is a strong female character? Several neo-feminist publications will wrongfully tell you it requires a woman to be in a position of power. They have to be cut-throat, unforgiving about her faults, or having very few to begin with, rejecting the traditions of women past, taking her earned place as Queen of name x-career. If you believed that you may end up with Anna Gunn's character, Naomi Bishop, who fits that audience's kink rather well. I reject that as the exclusive definition. To…
Watched it for the stock stuff, stayed for the stock stuff. Equity is sold across the board, a film that follows a strong woman in a strong man's world; navigating and traversing any and all obstacles that are presented when being a woman on Wall Street. Here we see her develop an IPO with a major security company; confident in her affinity for money but still hampered by external doubts and an increased demand for social interaction nuance. The film hits on lots of important troubles for women, I think, without blowing them up to unrealistic proportions and losing their efficacy in the process. But as Equity progresses, it's clear the film is less interested in the disadvantages of the…
When I initially watched this movie, I think I was too focused on what it isn't — a Wolf Of Wall Street style dark comedy, or a drama with an approachable and human lead fighting for her rights. Looking back on it, I see it more for what it is — a tangled, overcrowded, but strikingly ambitious thriller about women in the workplace, and how navigating corporate politics and Wall Street manipulations is hard enough without fighting the gender wars at the same time. This is one of those "movies for grownups" critics are always saying they want — a complicated drama full of unlikeable characters (and hooray for those!), a lot of nuanced layers, and no adolescent wish-fulfillment or shallow…
i told my mum this film was about the "she-wolves of wall street" and she thought i meant actual wolves :/
“Where did you get that green pen?”
In the high stakes world of stocks, trades and white collar crime the field of players is usually crowded with white males. The realm of high finance catches the attention of the everyday public when well heeled suits are exposed and countless hard working individuals lose their life savings and are left wondering “what happened”?
Director Meera Menon enters into this arena but this time it is told with definitive feminine power plays. Naomi Bishop (Anna Gunn) is the tough as nails investment banker in charge of IPO’s with a respected track record that went sour on her last IPO offering. She is about to take on the initial public offering of…
Equity plunges the viewer right into the world of investment bankers without any explanation. Consistently engaging and featuring a sprawling cast, it's the type of thriller often ignored by Hollywood. The use of smaller, not-name actors adds a lot to the realism, although ultimately, it is a pulpy tale. Equity is a very enjoyable time at the theater with a clever screenplay and decent direction. Definitely worth checking out.
Film #41 among my 52 Films by Women 2017
For her sophomore feature film, director Meera Menon leaves comedy behind and brings us a modern corporate drama, full of financial intrigues and the kind of corruption we've come to associate with business-based potboilers. The star here is Anna Gunn playing a senior investment banker named Naomi Bishop, who specializes in taking private companies public -- the so-called "She-Wolf of Wall Street."
Despite her brilliant track record, most recently Bishop under-priced an IPO and lost the underwriting to another company that made a killing in the public offering. At an alumni event, she meets a former classmate, lesbian Samantha Ryan (Alysia Reiner), who works as a public attorney. Ryan is tasked…
Equity feels like a debut from director Meera Menon and though it is not, it does still highlight a certain rawness. The characters are there. The themes are there. The story is there. Yet, it does not all come together. It feels agonizingly close, but perhaps with her next feature, Menon will be able to put the whole puzzle together. As is stands, Equity is an average financial thriller with themes that are far too on the nose and in your face for the film to be both a successful financial thriller and feminist success story. In fact, it almost feels like these two facets of the film are fighting against one another, struggling to see which one…
