Equity (2016)

Senior investment banker Naomi Bishop is threatened by a financial scandal and must untangle a web of corruption.

Director:

Meera Menon

Writers:

Sarah Megan Thomas (story by), Alysia Reiner (story by)

Stars:

Anna Gunn, James Purefoy, Sarah Megan Thomas

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anna Gunn	...	Naomi Bishop
James Purefoy	...	Michael Connor
Sarah Megan Thomas	...	Erin Manning
Alysia Reiner	...	Samantha Ryan
Samuel Roukin	...	Ed
Craig Bierko	...	Benji Akers
Nate Corddry	...	Cory
Nick Gehlfuss	...	Gabe
Carrie Preston	...	Compliance Officer Abby
Tracie Thoms	...	Melanie
Lee Tergesen	...	Randall
James Naughton	...	John
Roe Hartrampf	...	Teddy
Kyle Beltran	...	Bill
David Alan Basche	...	Ian

Storyline

Naomi Bishop is an investment banker determined to overcome a previous stain to her professional reputation, which is a challenge in the male dominated financial sector she works in. As Naomi in that spirit makes her move managing a burgeoning new tech IPO, she has to endure not only the condescension of her colleagues, but also her imperious client even as troubling new developments cloud the venture's future. Against that, the probing of a college friend turned Federal investment law prosecutor and the conniving of her double-dealing boyfriend seem to be manageable complications, until a betrayal by a trusted colleague threatens to ruin everything.

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Plot Keywords:

sexism | female boxer | boxing gloves | punching bag | personal trainer | 

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Taglines:

On Wall Street, All Players Are Not Created Equal

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mercado de Capitais

Filming Locations:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$82,434, 29 July 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,604,101, 6 November 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

2 Wonder Full To Be,Broad Street Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

All scenes shot with Bloomberg TV reporters were shot at Bloomberg, using real Bloomberg anchors, producers, directors and crew. All of those scenes were the first scenes shot for the movie even though those news scenes span the entire film.

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Goofs

While Naomi meets with her boss and he announces he is retiring, he plays with a Jenga tower. The blocks on the Jenga tower change configurations several times.

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Quotes

Michael Connor: You know what's weird about the whole privacy thing?
Naomi Bishop: What?
Michael Connor: Half the world is paranoid and the other half's password is "password."

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Connections

References All the President's Men (1976)

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Soundtracks

Side by Side
Written by Maxfield Gast
Performed by Maxfield Gast Trio
Courtesy of Militia Hill

User Reviews

She's above the glass ceiling, but she's still not at the top

Equity (2016) was directed by Meera Menon. It stars Anna Gunn as Naomi Bishop, a high-powered Wall Street executive whose specialty is taking corporations public with IPO's. (IPO stands for Initial Public Offering.) She has taken nine companies public, but her most recent effort has fallen short. Now, she's working with another company, and she's fighting for the opportunity to take it public.

James Purefoy plays Michael Connor, a hedge funder who is Naomi's lover. Alysia Reiner plays Samantha, Naomi's assistant, who is loyal, but who has ambitions of her own. Sarah Megan Thomas portrays Erin Manning, who works for the federal government. Her job is to discover and punish corporate crime, and she's very good at it. All three of these actors do very well in their roles.

I enjoyed this film, because it gave me a glimpse of a world I don't know, and don't really want to know. The acting was superb, the sets were excellent, and everything looked and felt real. As I noted, I don't know if the plot was realistic, but the sense of wealth, power, and greed felt real to me.

I don't see this as a movie about a woman trying to break through the glass ceiling. I see it as the story of a hard-driven, ambitious person, who is up against some strong, vicious, and crafty competitors. That's the life she's chosen, and that's the life she's living. It's not a happy life, even if you win. There's hardly a happy moment in the movie. Be prepared for a tale of ambition and treachery.

We saw this film at the excellent Little Theatre in Rochester, NY. It will work well on DVD.

Note: Equity has a horrible 5.4 IMDb rating. Normally, we would never go to a movie rated this low. However, when I looked at the ratings, it became clear that women liked the film, and men hated the film. As usual for IMDb, many more men than women vote. So, if men hate a film, that will lower its rating, even if women like it. My suggestion--ignore the rating and see it.