Promising Young Woman is an engaging, thought provoking and gripping examination of date rape.
Posted on 27th October 2021Given the films industry’s focus on the #MeToo movement, it’s surprising that a move exploring the issues raised hasn’t come along earlier. It’s also surprising that it should be marketed as a revenge thriller. Director Emerald Fennell’s apprenticeship on Fleabag is evident throughout, in both the film’s witty dialogue and zippy momentum, but her debut feature is an altogether more interesting and contrary film than you might have expected, not least due to a superb central performance from Carey Mulligan.
Intent on serving up just deserts to predatory males, Cassandra hangs around in bars, looking for a man that will disprove her thesis that the male of the species is only a few drinks away from date rape. It’s a sobering subject matter, as is her reason for this singular mission, but the film is neither Irreversible nor Ms 45. Rather, it’s a wilfully odd, and somewhat contrary mix of black comedy, mystery, satire, and romance.
To say much more about the plot would be to deprive the viewer of one of the film’s greatest pleasures – the element of surprise. Just when you think you’ve got the measure of the piece, it veers off in another, unexpected direction. The one thing that you can be sure of, and it’s to the movie’s great credit, is that you don’t know where this film is going. All of which makes for an engaging, thought provoking and accessible examination of its deeply troubling subject, topped off by a jaw dropping final act that I defy you to see coming.