OK, I assume you want some more information. Well, the film was written and directed by Emerald Fennell, who you may know as Camilla Parker-Bowles on The Crown, or Patsy Mount on Call the Midwife. But in addition to acting, she is a prolific writer, and her brain produced this diabolical script for her directorial debut. This is the story of a woman named Cassie (played by the always bewitching Carey Mulligan), who is turning thirty, still lives with her parents, and recently dropped out of medical school (for readers who know me, no surprise why this character resonated). She is currently working at a coffee shop, doesn't seem to have any friends or any interests in life, but all of that is stuff you will find out later in the movie. The way this film kicks off, however, is in a club, with the camera panning over the crotches of a bunch of men in khakis gyrating to the music. If you didn't know this movie was directed by a woman, you sure do now! We have seen so many scenes where cameras focus on headless women in tight dresses twerking away, but hoo boy, the gender flip is not pretty. Turns out there's nothing sexy about khaki-clad office drones.
Anyway, we then focus in on a trio of men who are enjoying their drinks when they spy Cassie sprawled on a couch, looking decidedly drunk and worse for wear. The men judge her for allowing herself to get into such a state and also berate her friends for leaving alone in such a situation - don't they know how dangerous that is? But one of the men, Jerry (played by baby-faced Adam Brody), seems uncomfortable, and decides to play the knight in shining armor. He walks over and asks if she's all right, how she's getting home, and whether she needs a ride. And what follows from that encounter sets up the main premise of the film and begins a visceral thrill ride that doesn't stop until the end credits.
I really don't want to give away more plot. In broad strokes, this is a movie about sexual assault, consent, and the many ways in which the patriarchy has taught us to protect men and dismiss women. It feels a bit like a distilled version of Michaela Cole's brilliant series I May Destroy You, but the moral ambiguity is a little less tangled up in this film - you're simply going to be rooting for Cassie as an avenging angel against horrible men (and women! - remember, there's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women) who did terrible things in her past and continue to do horrible things in the present. The casting of this film is magnificent - every single villain is an actor that I ordinarily view as a sweetheart. There's Connie Britton in a role that Tami Taylor from Friday Night Lights would have immediately shunned. Sam Richardson, the goofy Richard Splett on Veep, is a complete douchebag in this film, as is Chris Lowell, the lovable Piz from Veronica Mars, who deserves no love in this movie. Every supporting actor is superb, whether it's Jennifer Coolidge, doing some excellent dramatic work I would have never expected, or a brief scene with Alfred Molina where we see that some of the movie's villains do get redemption of a kind. And oh Bo Burnham. I just want to see him and Carey Mulligan do a lighthearted screwball comedy after this, because what a double feature that would make.
The look of this movie is spectacular, with bright colors and an emphasis on make-up and costume as Cassie changes her look and persona as she goes about wreaking vengeance. You don't need me to tell you Carey Mulligan is a remarkable actress, but if you foolishly need reminding, watch this performance and never forget it again. (Sidenote: I have never gotten a manicure in my life, but am now sorely tempted to paint my fingernails exactly like this character.) And I have to call out cinematographer Benjamin Kracun and editor Frederic Thoraval because this movie is beautifully shot and cut together. There is not a single frame that feels wasted, and many of the scenes made me squirm in my seat. This is an incredibly visceral film; there were moments when I felt sick to my stomach, and then other moments when I had little butterflies of anticipation watching a romance play out in a swoony fashion with crackling dialogue and a charming soundtrack that threw me off for a little bit before I realized what this insane script was about to do.
I need more people to see Promising Young Woman, whoop and squirm, and then think about how they have acted in similar situations. How many excuses have we made for people "who were just kids?" How much scorn have we heaped on women for being blackout drunk, while allowing men to get away with horrific behavior? And how bloody good does it feel to watch this story of a woman who fights back in absolutely ludicrous but highly creative ways to claim justice? I have never felt more whiplash watching a movie in my life. This is not a feel-good story, and yet it is still funny and engaging while being a furious indictment of how women are treated in our society. In a world where films still mostly subject us to the male gaze and male fantasies, it is a little miracle to get such a powerful female fantasy of what would happen if we unleashed our rage on the world. It's a hell of a ride.
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