Review of ‘A Promising Young Woman’

A promising young woman is the story of a woman (Carey Mulligan), traumatized by a tragic event, who punishes potential sexual offenders. Director and screenwriter Emerald Fennell takes many risks to compose this story of trauma, abuse and rape culture. And, quite rightly, she is very angry: It may not be impossible, but it is very difficult today to talk about the things she talks about without indignation and anger. That combination of bravery and anger is appreciated and necessary, but it is also a delicate cocktail. In A Promising Young Woman, so intense, that cocktail overflows and causes some imbalances. The most striking, in tone: the crossover of drama and black comedy that Fennell tests destabilizes at times. There are also some questionable decisions in the story (it should not be revealed) that border on contradiction. However, it would be unfair to cling to those flaws in the face of such a film.

In recent years, several directors have questioned in their films the rape and revenge (subgenre of terror that is exactly that, of raped women who take revenge on their aggressors) and they have tried to deactivate it, reinvent it, shake it, break it. They are good examples revenge (Coralie Fargeat, 2017), amulet (Romola Garai, 2020) or MFA (Natalia Leite, 2017). Of all, however, the one that has gone further, to the point of reformulating the subgenre, is Fennell. There are many determining decisions in A promising young woman, of which the filmmaker’s ability to reflect on an aesthetic level the universe (disturbing and painfully childish) of a woman whose life, unfortunately, stalled a long time ago stands out. But of all the decisions Fennell makes, the most important and valuable is the intelligence and ferocity with which the idea of ​​revenge is questioned as a catharsis, much less as a cure. Just for the latter A promising young woman should not be underestimated.

For fans of movies that shake, rage and don’t stay halfway.

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DATA SHEET

Address: emerald fennell Distribution: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Laverne Cox, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, Alison Brie Original title: Promising Young Woman Country: USA, UK Year: 2020 Release date: 4-16-2021 Gender: Drama Script: emerald fennell Duration: 113 minutes

Synopsis: TEveryone thought Cassie was a very promising young woman…until the day a mysterious event derailed her future. But nothing in Cassie’s life is what it seems: she’s a brain powerhouse, her cunning knows no bounds, and she lives a double nightlife. Suddenly, an encounter gives Cassie the opportunity to correct what happened in the past in a story as moving as it is unexpected.