Whew, chile!!! 😰😰😰

This film exceeded my expectations. This isn’t just a revenge or redemption story. ‘Twas complex and messy!!

I was honestly going to write this one off as a C+ dramedy with a heart, but goddamnit if Emerald Fennell didn’t find an awareness to her writing about sexual assault and predatory tactics that felt skillful and effortlessly uncomfortable. What a fantastic screenplay!

Carey Mulligan. Biiiiihhhh……….

I’ve never seen Carey in a role that blew my skirt up. She’s always been a talented actress, but I hadn’t seen her in THAT role. But her performance as Cassie (SPOILER ALERT), a woman seeking vengeance after a violent assault led to her best friend Nina’s suicide, was damn perfect. She was confident. Almost like she’d escaped into this role, not like I’ve ever seen from her. She knocked it out of the park.

I think the best part about the confidence of Mulligan’s portrayal was that it exuded “no fear.” Like legitimately not an ounce of a fuck for the folks who evaded accountability when her best friend was tragically taken from her. She didn’t care. She skirted all forms of ethical and moral behavior to turn a mirror on folks who evaded all forms of ethical and moral behavior. What a haunting character. A outstanding performance. 👏🏾👏🏾

This film highlighted one of the better representations I’ve seen of how one victim’s trauma, and its consequences, could affect a community. We saw multiple viewpoints from the victim’s mother, her friend, her friend’s parents, colleagues, work situationships—each point-of-view was interconnected. It seemed like each person Cassie approached represented one of the stages of grief: denial & isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

The delayed climax, which took place at the end of Part III, left me dumbfounded. That’s when I knew that the last act would be one for the books. 🔥🔥🔥 It was thrilling. It was compelling. And it was shocking. I aspire to write so boldly. 👏🏾👏🏾

“Promising Young Woman” is definitely a conversation starter. I found myself questioning my POV after new information was introduced. During the first two acts, I wouldn’t say I was rooting for Cassie. She seemed to be stuck in the negative space, and I couldn’t wait to see how her interactions would chip away at her guarded personality. I kept wondering like, “what exactly are Cassie’s motivations with reconciling her friend’s assault?” And “how is reopening wounds a way to cope with the trauma of her friend’s attack?”

I was concerned with her fake-drunk club routine as a means to teach predators a lesson because it seemed oxymoronic. I can contend with the idea that she justified her actions as a coping mechanism, but I questioned the long-term goals of it. That is until I realized how important the supporting characters were to the narrative. For example, there was a payoff for Cassie to reacquaint herself with Madison (Alison Brie), though her efforts to teach her a lesson for past decisions by traumatizing Madison left me feeling a bit uneasy, to say the least. Without that jarring moment, though, there probably wouldn’t have been another opportunity for Cassie to receive corroborating evidence of Nina’s assault from Madison, whom she’d guilt-traumatized her into handing over, which then opened doors to confront other supporting characters. (I know, run-on -_-)

It was grimy. It made me squirm, and that’s why I effing enjoyed it! 😏😏

Stylistically, the one scene that made me cringe 😬😬 was the montage at the pharmacy with Cassie and Ryan (Bo Burnham). I really could’ve done without the cutesy, “I think I love you, but what am I so afraid of…” schtick, but das me. 😬😬😬 I didn’t hate it, I just thought it went on for a little too long. Loved the song choice though—that was Paris Hilton’s only bop!

Shots I loved (shouts to the cinematographer):

🎥The angelic look Cassie made against the white wall and symmetrical pale blue appliqués at the coffee shop as Ryan approaches to ask her out. 🥰🥰 It was reminiscent of a Renaissance or Regency painting. That innocence in her face with that backdrop was super intentional and I ate it TF up. Brava!

🎥The symmetrical shots of Cassie on the couches—in the club and at her home when Madison stops by to chat. 🔥🔥🔥

In conclusion shawties, cool art. Dope screenplay. Emerald’s on my “to watch” list. I loved seeing Laverne Cox in a film, bay-bee! Jennifer Coolidge is a freaking legend, and was almost unrecognizable! And Carey Mulligan killed it. 😎