Ironically claiming its title from the ‘promising young man’ defence used to justify the heinous crimes of rapists like Brock Turner, Emerald Fennell’s first feature film, Promising Young Woman, powerfully mirrors society’s ugly truths with an unapologetic and bold rhetoric. With artistry and care, Fennell uses light and colour to contour religious motifs within frames, evoking hope for a cathartic ending. However, during the film’s final acts, the line between fantasy and realism is blurred, reducing the narrative’s substance.
Plot
Promising Young Woman – available for streaming in the UK on 16 April – is a whiplash-inducing blend of revenge thriller, dark comedy, and rom-com. The film follows the double life of Cassie (Carey Mulligan), a 30-year-old medical school drop out living an unfulfilled life living at home with her parents while working full time in a café. Cassie (whose name is influenced by Cassandra, a greek goddess who was cursed by Apollo to never have her prophecies believed) finds purpose in seeking vengeance for her best friend Nina’s tragedy nine years before the story.
Cassie sacrifices her safety at a night club every weekend by presenting herself as a drunken damsel in distress, enticing so-called nice guys to come to the rescue – AKA opportunists taking advantage of her vulnerability for sex. Once she and the man arrive at the apartment that he has ever so kindly offered up for the night, Cassie drops the ruse, revealing her stone-cold sobriety as a chilling epiphany that forces the men to reflect on their predatory behaviour.
“Promising Young Woman powerfully mirror’s society ugly truths”
The film opens with a satirical tribute to the misogynistic male gaze lens used to objectify women in media. Co-producer Margot Robbie converts her experience with objectification (take the portrayal of Harley Quinn in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad compared to Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey, for example) by using flippant medium close up shots of men dancing, focusing on below their waists, while Charli XCX’s ‘I was busy thinking about boys’ plays over the mocking ‘taste of your own medicine’ montage.
Strengths
Rather than creating a caricature of the most dangerous and violent man possible, like most exploitive rape-revenge thrillers, casting loveable actors like Superbad‘s Christopher Mintz-Plasse, New Girl’s Max Greenfield, and comedian Bo Burnham, reinforces the unnerving truth that anyone, most of the time someone you know, is just as much of a threat as the stranger lurking in a dark alley.
Colour is cleverly utilised to enhance the idea that danger hides in plain sight. Amongst a sky blue and bubble gum pink colour palette, subtle red props feature in the background of frames symbolising literal red flags.
The film is accompanied by an all-female, upbeat pop soundtrack, featuring well-loved throwbacks like Paris Hilton’s ‘Stars are Blind’. Each song echoes Cassie’s mental state, providing the audience insight into the emotions concealed by Cassie’s composed facade.
“Erratic concoction of twists and turns”
Carey Mulligan’s ability to convey the complexity of Cassie’s character – a woman who, despite being crushed under a heavy weight of emotional baggage, exudes a chillingly calm yet wrathful demeanour – is well-deserving of the Oscar nomination for best actress.
The dialogue is paced and timed very well for the blunt comedic effect that catches you off guard in the middle of a heavy conversation. It can be slightly predictable and platitudinal at times, but still an honest representation of reality’s discourse on rape culture.
Race
Although sexual violence transcends through all waves of feminism, exploring this theme through a white woman’s perspective inevitably omits any reference to intersectionality. Cassie faces no consequences for her impulsive rage and immoral actions, unintentionally highlighting the dissociation between liberal feminism and women of colour. It would be unrealistic to expect a film to cover all aspects of race and feminist theory in just two hours. However, casting Laverne Cox as Gail – Cassie’s coworker and only friend – a one-dimensional side character whose sole purpose is to fulfil the performative black best friend trope, doesn’t help this case.
Religion
As Cassie’s righteous mission for revenge unfolds, we learn that religious tenets of redemption and punishment fuel her resilience as she encourages accomplices to Nina’s tragedy to confess to their wrongdoing or face comeuppance. Religious iconography like meticulously positioned light doubling as a halo or the curvature of a chair shadowing as wings depicts Cassie as an angel of vengeance, adding a layer of ethereal depth to the storyline.
Final Act
The wonderfully entertaining and erratic concoction of twists and turns throughout the first half plummets to a chaotic anticlimax. Fennell’s justification for the controversial finale is that she wanted the narrative to remain “honest“. And credit, where credit is due, in terms of social commentary, the overall resolution is authentic, which is where a fraction of my frustration towards the ending is supposed to be directed. But the rest of my anger is a product of the writers prioritising cheap shock value over a logical narrative arc, as well as facetiously playing into exploitative tropes during the final ten minutes.
Verdict
As an overall narrative, Promising Young Woman feels unbalanced and indecisive about depicting reality or fantasy. But regardless of the unfolding of the story, the loaded subject matter complemented by the delicately crafted cinematography and a stellar performance from the cast will undoubtedly evoke an emotional response, as it truly is a work of art imitating life’s despair.
Alexandria Slater
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