Equity

Hollywood’s first female-driven Wall Street movie, directed, written, and produced by women, suggests that there is room for some alpha females in the wolves of Wall Street packs. Meera Menon’s polished thriller stars Anna Gunn, exhibiting the razor-sharp sensibility that made her a breakout star on “Breaking Bad,” turning the tables as money-worshipping investment banker Naomi. Hellbent on climbing the corporate ladder, Naomi’s rise is jeopardized when a personal scandal threatens to unravel a major deal. The screws are tightened by an opportunistic underling and a prosecutor in the Attorney General’s Office—characters who further subvert female stereotypes. “Equity” is a nail-biting morality play, full of finely-observed, female-focused nuance and detail, that shows it’s not just men who make cold-hearted decisions with power and the almighty dollar in mind.