'Fatal Affair' Preview: A Netflix thriller that promises to be just as bad as 'Obsessed' or 'Fatal Attraction'
Risqué psychological thrillers have a way of all being kind of the same. Yet there is something about them that makes us continue to watch them. Take the 1987 Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer-starrer ‘Fatal Attraction’. Or the 2009 Idris Elba, Beyoncé Knowles, and Ali Larter-starrer ‘Obsessed’.
They are both, essentially similar in their structures and plot. A happy couple’s happy life goes south when an attractive stranger walks in, causing the marriage to witness cracks. Overt sexualization of the “other” person, infidelity, obsessive behavior, and danger are the ever-present themes in these films. They have a kind of over-dramatized soap-opera vibe that makes them irresistible to watch.
And if you’re a fan of films like these, Netflix's upcoming psychological thriller ‘Fatal Affair’ is exactly what you will enjoy. Starring Nia Long, Stephen Bishop, and Omar Epps, this film, by the looks of it, feels like a direct nod to the aforementioned films. Only, with the genders reversed.
As per the official synopsis for the film on Netflix, “Ellie (Nia Long) tries to mend her marriage with her husband Marcus (Stephen Bishop) after a brief encounter with an old friend, David (Omar Epps), only to find that David is more dangerous and unstable than she'd realized.”
The film’s trailer, however, is where we see just how similar the films are. Ellie and Marcus are visibly not happy in their marriage. But they try to keep moving ahead. But before things can even begin to mend, Ellie runs into David, a friend she hasn’t met in 20 years. David flashes a disarming smile and says, “We should catch up.” And we all know where that is going.
At a dark neon nightclub, in the backdrop of some steamy jazzy tunes, the two meet and drink and dance. It’s obvious that they have had a sexual or romantic history. At some point, she confesses that her life is not the way it looks. And David then says, “If things had worked out, you would never feel like you're sleeping with a stranger,” something Ellie does with Marcus.
The two hook up but Ellie, with a conscience, doesn’t let things go too far, she leaves. But things take a drastic turn from there. David obsessively calls her, stalks her, and ultimately, things get to the point of real fatal danger for the married couple.
There is nothing unpredictable in this story. Yet, it looks exciting. For one, it has Omar Epps playing a crazed, obsessive man, something that feels entirely out of character for a man who played a principled (to the point of annoying) doctor in ‘House M.D.’ In a way, this unexpectedness in casting proves to be a blessing in disguise for fans of Epps.
For another, even if the story and the tropes are old, one can’t help but love a movie that is so blatantly terrible in its premise. It looks like one of those “so bad but so good” films where characters act nothing like real people and make all the wrong decisions, that both angers and tickles viewers.
‘Fatal Affair’ promises to be a great bad weekend watch with friends. And with this pandemic seemingly coming to no end, we just can’t have enough of these.
‘Fatal Affair’ arrives on Netflix on July 16.