Revenge is a powerful and complex emotion. To quote Gandhi “An eye for eye makes the whole world blind”, whilst Francis Bacon describes revenge as ‘wild justice’. Is it not only fair that Maximus Decimus Meridius gets revenge for the murder of his family? I mean, they killed John Wick’s dog, what did they expect was going to happen? These types of stories can be fascinating when done well because the premise itself is simple: Party 1 has committed an act that has affected Party 2 so Party 2 is acting against Party 1. Easy to understand and easy for an audience to empathise with a character, it’s the layers on top that make the film. How do you go about the act of revenge, who is it truly against, how far is too far, and when is the act really done? Will you ever feel complete again? All of these questions and more feature in Promising Young Woman. Directed by Emerald Fennell, Carey Mulligan stars as Cassie, a medical school dropout working at a coffee shop, spending her nights getting unconsciously drunk. Or so it appears on the surface. Driven by vengeance, Cassie is looking to expose predatory men for the cowards they are, despite the toll it takes on her personal life.
From an aesthetic perspective, this film is vibrant, containing unique set pieces that pop off the screen. There’s a pharmacy they make look like a club where I wouldn’t be too embarrassed picking up prescription creams. Every sign is fluorescent and even the dingy bars Cassie frequents are lit brightly. Outside of the nightlife, Cassie becomes Cassandra. Living with her parents, the decoration turns to aged floral bed sheets and curtains accompanying large, gaudy furniture. It makes her look like a princess, all of this acting as a counterbalance to the depraved nature of this film. This works in a similar way to the outfits & make-up worn by Cassie. Multicoloured nail varnish, large heels & big lipstick, the outfits go against her cynical and jaded personality. To continue setting this mood, loud pop songs from Charli XCX, Paris Hilton and Spice Girls make up the soundtrack. These provide the uplifting positive vibes while Cassie enacts her plan, but also emphasises Cassandra’s big lows within the film. It is these highs and lows that make the story and picture as a whole flow seamlessly. The dialogue is biting and darkly comedic, coupled with lines that’ll bring you straight back to reality, earning Emerald Fennell the Best Original Screenplay award at the Oscars. Fennell manages to convey themes of grief, love and toxic masculinity into a tight sub two hour package, portrayed fantastically by Carey Mulligan. Mulligan really nails that balance of being confident, in control and empowered whilst simultaneously being isolated, stuck and desperate. Intense and driven, she is the perfect foil for the supporting cast, including Bo Burnham, Christoph Mintz-Plasse and Samuel Richardson.
Not only do I appreciate what’s happening on the screen, but also the care, support and thoughtfulness behind it. There are no gratuitously violent scenes or lavishly shot r*pe scenes (they don’t even mention the word in the film) to shock the audience. During filming some of the more mentally stressful scenes, Emerald Fennell and the cast & crew kept things light, joking around as if it was a comedy. Filmed in 23 days, it also goes against the stereotype that you need to make your actors miserable to get a great and realistic performance out of them. This is the first time two women have been nominated for best director in one year, but what elevates things further is that Emerald was heavily pregnant during the shoot and gave birth to a son 3 weeks after completion.
This provides a fantastic example of what can be achieved when giving women a voice and a platform to share it, emphasising how important the female gaze is to cinema.