Played and Betrayed – Movie Review and Summary

Plot Summary

Brandon and Andrea’s marriage has hit a bit of a rough patch. He is always working; she quit her job to start her marketing firm, and it isn’t necessarily taking off quickly. Their lack of intimacy, quality time, or any pillar of a relationship leads Andrea to think maybe their marriage is at an end, but she tries via a vacation to Dorset, England, to get them on the right track.

Which, thanks to another couple, Percy and Chanelle, it seems Brandon and Andrea may form a stronger bond, but it might be a trauma bond more than one of love.

Content Information

• Dialog: Cursing
• Violence: Family Violence
• Sexual Content: Sexual Situations (Implied)
• Miscellaneous: Drinking

General Information

Director(s)	Jaira Thomas
Screenplay By	Briana Cole
Based On Work By	N/A
Date Released	February 8, 2024
How To Watch	Tubi
Genre(s)	Crime Drama Romance Young Adult
Film Length	1 Hour 31 Minutes
Content Rating	Rated TV-MA
Noted Characters and Cast
Brandon	Asan N’Jie
Andrea	Savannah Steyn
Percy	Solomon Israel
Chanelle	Adwoa Akoto

Character Descriptions

Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.

Brandon (Asan N’Jie)

Brandon, an accountant by trade, is working hard to support his household while Andrea gets her business going. But to keep up with the bills, he has neglected his marriage.

Andrea (Savannah Steyn)

With recently quitting her job to start her own marketing firm, Andrea is realizing how tough it is to build up a consistent clientele to keep the business afloat. Note, it seems to be just her right now, but even without the responsibility of multiple employees, the business isn’t doing well.

• The actor is also known for their role in “House of the Dragon: Season 1/ Episode 5.”

Percy (Solomon Israel)

An A&R representative at an undisclosed record label, it is clear Percy likes to have his cake and eat it, too, leading to him trying to temp Brandon to be a bad boy.

Chanelle (Adwoa Akoto)

A celebrity stylist raised by her grandfather, Chanelle likes to have fun as much as her husband, but not in the same ways.

Review

On The Fence

Investment In The Core Relationship

The core of “Played and Betrayed” is getting invested in the survival of the relationship between Andrea and Brandon, and we’re just not given much to latch onto. Yes, Brandon reveals he remembers his and Andrea’s first date down to the color of her attire. Also, they are put through something which creates a form of a trauma bond between them.

However, trauma bonds don’t mean you suddenly care if these two makeup, stay married, and are potentially in love again. Bonding them by a secret is no different than what we saw in “Exhibiting Forgiveness,” where a son and mother were bonded due to family violence caused by the father. Yes, because of a situation shared, they have memories and may rely on each other for survival, but what happens when you become removed from that situation to the point of moving on?

That’s the trouble here. You can see the issue Andrea and Brandon deal with made them closer, and maybe there are some signs they could be better, but from the beginning, you aren’t shown a reason to root for these two, nothing in the movie gives you the push to see these two as a credible couple you’d want to root for and even in the end, there is nothing notable or exciting. They are just two people who went through some BS.

Recommendations

Good If You Like

• Couples facing notable challenges together, in a legal matter

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