Promising Young Woman
Cassie is not as she seems.
Cassie (Carey Mulligan) was a bright student in medical school, but not anymore. She lives with her parents and works at a coffee shop. Our introduction to Cassie begins at a bar, where she is passed out and a guy scoops her up to take her home with him. This takes a dark turn.
Writer-Director Emerald Fennell is saying something about men in her directorial debut, Promising Young Woman. She is saying something about nice men and men who think they are nice men. She is putting a focus on the self-described nice guy who would never force themselves on a woman but does not see an issue having sex with a wasted woman. From the trailers, Cassie looked like a murderer but the punishment she gives to her victims is forcing men to see themselves as they really are.
PYW is like Candyland with an aesthetic of bright colors and innocence. The film's soundtrack even includes an iconic Paris Hilton song. Under all the sweet dressing, it covers dark themes of rape and revenge. Cassie fits into this complicated setting because it is not easy to see her control of the situation or what she is thinking.
At points, it feels like Cassie is in a romantic with Bo Burnham's Ryan and then a coming-of-age story with her parents and her coffee shop boss. Then she is in a revenge thriller. What makes this film great is that it is balancing all three of these genres/storylines but doesn't feel too cluttered. Fennell executes her vision well and makes them all perfectly thread together. Another fascinating part is that it is a hard film to talk about and really settle on what it is. There are surprises everywhere that feel clever and unexpected.
Carey Mulligan gives a chilling performance as Cassie. It is one that will keep people talking. She can go from vulnerable to someone you should not mess with within a matter of seconds. She displays exaggerated representations of hyperfemininity with a mix of fragility that keep you mesmerized by Cassie and wanting to know what her next move will be. She is always in control of her situation even at times where she is vulnerable.
Fennell's film comes down to the idea of the struggle to move forward. Cassie is obviously held back by the death of her friend Nina was raped. Cassie is trying to find justice. Nina is dead but from Cassie's childhood like appearance and way of life, she was impacted by Nina's death and ended her life to this weird childhood stalemate. Cassie attempts to move forward and there looks like there is hope but the rape of Nina derails any move forward.
The grim ending comes as a surprise, but looking back on Cassie's journey it makes sense. In the end, there is no glimmer of hope as Cassie's journey comes to an end. It is a film we will be talking about for a long time. I think it is a perfect look on those who reject rape culture and claim they would never do that to someone. This is a side of the conversation we have not seen in media and Fennell beautifully nails it to her target audience of nice guys.