“Promising Young Woman,” directed by Emerald Fennell, follows the story of Cassie Thomas, a wickedly smart medical school dropout who leads a double life dedicated to exposing the so-called nice guys of the world. 

By day, she is a harmless good girl working at a coffee shop. But by night, Thomas dolls herself up, pretending to be a stumbling drunk, and heads out to clubs, setting a trap for predatory men. Thomas weaponizes her innocent, delicate appearance to lure self-proclaimed gentlemen, then confronts them in a non-violent, yet disturbing way. Carey Mulligan does a spectacular job bringing Thomas’ character to life and depicts a traumatized woman in a way that is a bit more unconventional. Though Mulligan was thoughtful with her portrayal of Thomas’, there are moments in the film where her character is simply a vengeance-seeking barbie doll.

Stylistically speaking, the film is bombarded with an obnoxious pastel-colored environment as a contrast to the film’s plot. Though there is an excessive and almost sickeningly amount of bright pink in most scenes, it is deliberately used to highlight the dark subject matter that is date rape. It also functions as a way to emphasize Cassie’s split life, and separate her ordinary look from her “hunting attire.” Admittedly, the color pallet and symbolism feels a bit on the nose, but perhaps it was meant to be over the top to be provocative.

The film also introduces a romantic subplot that later plays a pivotal role in Cassie’s revenge and a shocking twist. Bo Burnham is enjoyable to watch and serves as comic relief, though it is strange to see a comedian in such a serious film. The strange sense of normalcy exhibited by the leads sort of comes out of left field, but the gleeful dynamic is interesting to watch. The lightheartedness is refreshing, but at the same time, somewhat distracting from the heavier topics presented. The mix of comedy can come off as devaluing to those who have been victims of rape or harassment, but at the same time, makes the story more complex. In most cases, sexual assault is a pretty black and white issue. With the incorporation of humor and romance, the movie depicts the social nature surrounding sexual assault and how interpersonal connections make it more complicated.

“Promising Young Woman” does, unfortunately, fall flat in certain areas when it comes to storytelling and development, and at times fails to truly depict rape culture accurately. Take, for example, the men Thomas lures. They are all depicted as sniveling losers, with the classic “poor me” guilty mentality. In truth, a good portion of predatory men do not feel that type of remorse and will take advantage of you regardless of how intoxicated you are. It almost seems like just how different every woman’s experience is was not considered in the making of the film.  Regardless, the movie was ambitious, and overall is decent. All the dark secrets gradually trickle in, the acting is good and the candy-coated world that was created was visually appealing.  Still, entertainment is subjective. A film that feels like a feminist revenge flick to some, can feel like an oversimplification of a serious topic for others. 

“Promising Young Woman” is currently showing in theaters and is available on Amazon Prime and Youtube.