Promising Young Woman Review: Carey Mulligan Gives A Dynamite Performance In This Explosive Thriller

Carey Mulligan stars as Cassie in Emerald Fennell's 'Promising Young Woman'

DIRECTED BY: EMERALD FENNELL

STARRING: CAREY MULLIGAN, BO BURNHAM, & ALISON BRIE

RATED R FOR STRONG VIOLENCE INCLUDING SEXUAL ASSAULT, LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT, SOME SEXUAL MATERIAL AND DRUG USE

LENGTH: 113 MINUTES

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Making a film with themes steeped in sexual assault is a tricky road all in itself, making a genre film centering around these tragic topics is another road altogether. It would be easy in the wrong filmmaker's hands to make the film look like it's making light of the topic or not addressing them appropriately. Emerald Fennell decided to address these topics head on in her feature directorial debut Promising Young Woman, a film that was initially set to hit theaters last April but was pushed back due to the ongoing pandemic. That rescheduling might just have been a blessing in disguise for the film as it has garnered some major awards buzz with star Carey Mulligan winning Best Actress awards left and right for her work in the film.

Promising Young Woman is a film that is best viewed by going in knowing as little as possible, so I'll just provide this brief synopsis. The film follows Cassie (Mulligan), a 30-year-old woman who dropped out of med-school seven years prior because of a traumatizing tragedy. After a chance occurrence with someone from her past, her trauma boils into rage as she forms a master plan to get even.

Mulligan's performance is absolutely tremendous and shows off what is most likely the best performance of 2020. She completely immerses herself into the role of Cassie and gives an extremely layered performance of this broken woman. Even when her plans seem questionable, we as an audience still find ourselves rooting for her and that is because of Mulligan's work. If she doesn't win that best actress statue come Oscars night, the Academy better have a good explanation. The supporting cast is strong as well, with Bo Burnham turning in quite the memorable performance as Ryan and the chemistry he shares with Mulligan is absolutely electric.

Despite this being her first feature, Fennell directs like she's been doing it for years, the film is perfectly paced and keeps the audience hooked from the very beginning right up until the credits roll. The use of vibrant and neon colors also helps add to the film's visual style and makes it feel visually appealing. Even with the tough topics, the film's bright color palette is effective for the film and doesn't feel out of place.

Fennell's script is also among the best of 2020, from how it perfectly executes the tonal shifts, to how it covers it's subject matter, and especially with how it handles these complex set of characters. The film is also quite hard to predict, constantly subverting the expectations of the audience and doesn't let go until the very end. That being said (and without saying much) the film's ending may not work for everyone and has already proved itself to be quite divisive among some of it's audience.

Promising Young Woman is among one of the most explosive, unforgettable, and competently made films of 2020, it's a film that speaks to certain issues in a way that never feels ignorant nor preachy. Dare I say it, it's an important film.

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4.5/5 Stars

Promising Young Woman is still playing in select theaters and is available to rent on Premium Video On-Demand.