PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Emerald Fennell is probably one of the busiest people working today. Aside from writing, producing and directing the widely praised revenge thriller, Promising Young Woman, Fennell also starred as Camilla Parker-Bowles in the Netflix drama series, The Crown, was the show runner for the second series of Killing Eve and she’s also recently collaborated with legendary composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, on a new musical, Cinderella, which is scheduled to premiere at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London later the year. There’s no denying that Fennell is one of the most talented people and her latest film, Promising Young Woman, further establishes that and proves that she knows how to make a riveting thriller filled with shocking twists.

Everyone said that Cassie (Carey Mulligan) was a promising young woman... until a mysterious event abruptly derailed her future. But nothing in Cassie’s life is what it appears to be: she’s wickedly smart, tantalisingly cunning, and she’s living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs of the past.

Promising Young Woman was originally meant to be released in cinemas in April last year, unfortunately, after cinemas were forced to close following the outbreak of coronavirus, its release date was delayed. In the US, it had a limited release in cinemas earlier this year before being released on VOD. Since its release, Promising Young Woman has been lauded, with most of the praise being aimed at Fennell and her ambitious filmmaking skills. Because of this, Promising Young Woman was one of my most anticipated films. After waiting almost a year to watch it, Promising Young Woman has finally been released in the UK on NowTV's subscription service, Sky Cinema. The wait was definitely worth it as Promising Young Woman has become one of the best films I've watched this year.   

With Promising Young Woman, Fennell has created an unforgettable film that will either excite or anger you. Fortunately, I belong in the former category as, although I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending, I really admire Fennell for creating one of the most exciting films to be released recently. Fennell isn’t afraid to take risks and, through Promising Young Woman, shows viewers an ugly society that allows women to be treated like prey by the male predators. For far too long, women have become victims of rape by people who take advantage of them. For far too long, when women have spoken up about their horrific experiences of being raped, their attackers weren’t punished and blame was put on the women with people asking what they were wearing and if they were intoxicated. Society teaches women to stay with their friends on a night out, tells them not to get drunk and wear revealing clothes. We should be teaching people not to sexually harass and assault women. This is an issue Fennell is clearly cares about so I can thoroughly understand why she’s made a film like Promising Young Woman. Although I understand not everyone will enjoy it, I hope that it changes how society perceives women and that they’re not just walking sex objects. 

For most of her acting career, Mulligan has delivered a wide range of impressive performances including in films such as An Education, The Great Gatsby and Drive. However, as Cassie, she delivers her best performance yet. Although Cassie is a hard character to like, she’s, undoubtedly, the most fascinating character Mulligan has ever portrayed. Because of what happened to her best friend, Nina, Cassie is determined to seek revenge and punish those responsible and also the people who refused to believe her accusations. She is certainly one character you don’t want to get on the wrong side of. At the time of writing this review, Mulligan is currently nominated at the 93rd Academy Awards for her memorable performance. Although Mulligan's performance in Promising Young Woman has been widely lauded, one controversial review by a male critic said that she looked like she was “in bad drag”, referring to her character's appearance and over the top make-up and wardrobe. While, of course, everyone has the right to their opinion, I disagree with this comment. I think that this critic's comment further highlights the issue with sexism, especially in Hollywood. I've noticed that, whenever a critic describes an actress' performance, a comment is almost always made about their appearance. On the contrary, I don’t recall ever reading a review that comments on a male actor's appearance. In a lot of films, women are portrayed as having flawless make-up and the perfect figure in order to appear more attractive. However, because Cassie is imperfect, I think that her hair and clothing style matches her unique and bold personality.

Bo Burnham is best known as a stand-up comedian and for writing and directing Eighth Grade, which was released in 2018. As Ryan, a potential love interest for Cassie, Burnham impresses. The scenes focusing on the relationship between Cassie and Ryan provide comic relief, including an amusing scene where Ryan sings and dances in a pharmacy. However, a shocking twist reveals his involvement in Nina’s rape, which I honestly wasn’t expecting. 

Although Promising Young Woman has received a lot of praise,  mainly for Mulligan’s performance, the third act has received a divisive response. Prior to watching the film, I had no idea how it was going to end. The third act is where Promising Young Woman is at its most shocking. It sees Cassie attending a bachelor party for Al (Chris Lowell), who raped Nina. Disguised as a stripper in a nurse’s costume, Cassie drugs all the attendees before handcuffing Al to a bed and revealing her true identity. She then proceeds to scar Nina’s name on Al’s skin before he breaks free and suffocates her. This is where Promising Young Woman was at its most difficult to watch. Although I didn’t like this twist, I can understand why Fennell chose this ending as it’s shocking and disturbing. 

It may come as a bit of a surprise but Promising Young Woman almost didn’t get made. After Fennell pitched the opening sequence to male producers, which sees Cassie pretending to be drunk at a bar and getting taken home by a man, she noticed that they weren’t really paying attention, with one staring into space and admitting he was thinking about dates that he’d been on. Another called Cassie a psycho. Following this reaction, it’s a wonder that Promising Young Woman got made, however, I’m so glad it did as it’s receiving a lot of critical praise and award attention. 

Although most of Promising Young Woman is a serious, twisted thriller, it is surprisingly funny at times. The most amusing scene is when Cassie questions a man, Neil (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who has taken her back to his place. After he says that he thought they had a connection, Cassie tells him to prove it by asking him various questions about herself, including what her job is, how old she is and what’s her name. Most of the comic relief in serious dramas and thrillers feel out of place, fortunately, that’s not the case with Promising Young Woman. 

While Promising Young Woman has received a mostly positive reception from critics, not everyone has been appreciative of what Fennell has created. At first, I struggled to understand why people had such a negative response, however, following my watch of Promising Young Woman, I can understand why, although my feelings towards it are mostly positive. The film has clearly had a major impact on viewers as it’s, unsurprisingly, one of the most widely discussed films. I can’t imagine anyone watching Promising Young Woman and not having an opinion as it’s one of the most thought provoking films to be released recently.

Promising Young Woman is currently nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Leading Actress for Mulligan with Fennell receiving two nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay. It thoroughly deserved to be recognised as it’s one of the most important films to be released recently as it tackles the issue of how women are treated in society. Promising Young Woman is a film that’ll get discussed for years to come and represents an ambitious and exciting feature debut for Fennell.

8/10