Promising young woman review- muligan shines in Emerald Fennell’s confident debut

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The unique, poppy aesthetic of Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman will seem like a throw off at first. Dealing with an issue as serious as sexual assault would traditionally have a darker and gloomier perspective. Having little to no soundtrack at all, a muted Clint Eastwood-esque colour palate, an overtly sombre tone all round etc. Promising Young Woman approaches these issues with the seriousness they deserve, but Fennell gives it the aesthetic of a Katy Perry music video, a risky move that mostly pays off.

Carey Mulligan is Cassie, a medical school dropout turned coffee barrister. She has just turned 30, still living with her parents, and persistently haunted by a tragedy faced at medical school. Her best friend Nina was raped whilst unconsciousness at a college party, committing suicide shortly after (though the film never explicitly says this).  Whilst working as a barrister, Cassie goes to nightclubs where she acts drunk to attract the attention of predatory men, before humiliating them through various means. Meanwhile, she prepares a ritualistic revenge against those that were responsible for Nina’s death, whilst also stepping back into the romantic spotlight with an old friend from university Ryan (Bo Burnham).

Out of all the Best Picture contenders this year, Promising Young Woman feels the timeliest. At least, the film is the most representative of issues faced in 2020’s society out of all the nominees. Its an original premise, subverting the tropes often seen in the “rape revenge” films of the 1970s. Even the title (a reference to the Brock Turner sexual assault case in which he was referred to by one newspaper as a “promising young man”) provides the fictional story with a tunnel to the real world. Though the mix of thriller tension and black comedy does not always hit the emotional beats it wants to, Fennell’s film mostly works, primarily due to her direction and the performances of the actors.

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Benjamin Kračun’s cinematography gives the film a unique style. Everything is always symmetrically framed, reminding one of the visual preciseness of Wes Anderson. Mulligan is often framed central, always in control of every bizarre situation she finds herself in. In fact, symbolism and intertextuality is featured all round. The American flag in Mulligan’s first victim’s apartment is one noteworthy example. And the references to Charles Laughton’s 1955 masterpiece The Night of the Hunter really drive home the theme of lost innocence that Fennell is trying to convey.

 Though Mulligan’s character Cassie has mental and emotional instabilities, she is by no means an antihero. Though her actions are morally ambiguous, it is clear that Fennell wants the audience to root for her. Unlike the advertising which seems to depict her as a morally righteous Patrick Bateman, she is far more likeable than that. Her cynical perspective translates into her sense of humour which give the film its most amusing moments.

Furthermore, the choice of music (consisting mainly of 21st century pop) create a mood that really impacts many of the most provocative moments of the film. And the string focused score from composer Anthony Willis has been a highly overlooked aspect of the film.

Mulligan is truly terrific as Cassie, delivering the role with an intense playfulness that really works with Fennell’s style. The supporting cast is mostly good, with Bo Burnham being perfectly cast as Cassie’s new fling. And there are some nice turns from underrated character actors, particularly Jennifer Coolidge and Clancy Brown as Cassie’s parents. Occasionally, it can feel like celebrity spotting, with many well-known faces only appearing to make brief cameos, but none of it feels too overwhelming.

One large problem with the film is its rather messy conclusion. What starts of as a brutal and nihilistic, yet gut-wrenching finale, becomes Hollywoodized and a cop out.  It almost feels as if Fennell conceded to make a more marketable, crowd-pleasing, but less impactful finale. At the very least, Fennell should have drawn out the moments before the final scene to really build up the tension (like the long body disposal scene in Psycho).

Nevertheless, Promising Young Woman explores the role of gender dynamics in a unique way, that few films of this era have done. It has been written about and talked about to death, but it shows its doing something right. Though Fennell’s screenplay does not always reach the heights and ambitions she wants it to, she is at least exploring a complicated issue in a fascinating and thought-provoking way.