From visionary director Emerald Fennell (Ki. There's no easy way to classify Promising Young Woman, the . This starts off like a conventional young-woman-starts-affair-with-older-married-boss storyline but O'Donoghue is too canny a writer to merely re-tell an old, old story. There's a hoary old cliche about revenge that says "those who seek revenge should dig two graves (one for their enemy and one for themselves)". [27][28] The film continued to hold well in the subsequent weekends, including seeing a 16% bump following its four Golden Globe nominations, with a running total of $5.1 million by February 21. I couldnt believe that she wouldnt have made a plan for if things went wrong.. Or are they? It doesn't all come together, though there's an undeniable thrill in seeing it come apart. He witnessed Ninas rape along with others and did not report it and also subsequently lied to police about Cassies whereabouts. Fair warning: I have written a book on campus sexual assault, so this movie review dives deep into the substance behind the story of Promising Young Woman. Paul and Jim make misogynistic comments toward her, but Jerry goes to approach her and try to get her home. In Promising Young Woman, we get to see Cassie use her intelligence and grift that she used on the man at the beginning to get revenge on those who wronged her in the past. One day Ryan happens to run into Cassie and the two fall in love. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. [3][4], In February 2019, Focus Features acquired distribution rights to the film. (Inevitably, the men try to turn their predicament back on Cassie, but the movie doesnt take their pushback seriously, to its credit.). Promising Young Woman is described as a thriller, and I would say that's an accurate representation of its content. Posted by 8 months ago. However, this still works. Why Was Frank Ocean's Coachella Set Such a Disappointing Mess? "[40] Dowd added that the casting of Burnham, who "comes across as nonthreatening" and has "a boyish quality," assisted the use of the character. When he, again inevitably, begins to have sex with her without her consent Cassie then springs upon him that shes stone-cold sober, shaming him. [26] The film dropped 4.4% in its second weekend to $687,900, then made $586,285 in its third weekend, finishing sixth both times. Plot summary: A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path. And to my mind, Cassies story wouldnt really make for much of a movie without her posthumous revenge. The inciting incident is one of the few plot events that usually happens outside of the protagonists direct influence. Its difficult to talk about. Cassie next targets Elizabeth Walker, the medical school dean who dismissed Nina's case for "lack of evidence". This moment is all the darker if the misery comes from self-inflicted wounds that came from the protagonists own inability to grow beyond their origin point. Carey Mulligan on her first time reading the script to Promising Young Woman. This article contains major plot revelations from Promising Young Woman. Film ini ditayangkan perdana di Sundance Film Festival pada 25 Januari . (2.5/4 stars) Directed by: Emerald Fennell. In the films final scene, as police raid the wedding party to arrest Al, and his best friend and accomplice Joe (Max Greenfield) runs off into the woods, Ryan receives a pre-timed text message from Cassie. makes smart, devious use of Bo Burnham. New and Upcoming Science Fiction and Fantasy. It sort of felt at least like some small justice was afforded.. PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN 1/2. And she does a convincing job. Traumatized by the tragic suicide of her best friend Nina Fisher, who got raped by her classmate Al Monroe, Cassie frequents the local bars and nightclubs, pretending . After all, from Als point of view, he would be scared for his life. Most of Promising Young Woman seems like a clever riff on exploitation films, where someone whos been wronged has their revenge. He said about two-and-a-half minutes. A psychological drama within a revenge fantasy and a rom-com veneer, Promising Young Woman underscores a deadly serious social issue while providing an entertaining story. Maybe everything Cassie did was for nothing. Were committed to keeping our work free for all who need it, because we believe that high-quality explanatory journalism is a public good. But just how far her scheme goes, whether she ever harms any of them or what exactly the different colors of ink mean isnt answered. Its a horrible road to choose., She continued: Isnt it funny how frightening a character becomes particularly a woman when they say, Actually, Im right. Painful, but fun to watch. Within this genre, the rules of reality are justifiably stretched just a little bit. If youre honest, it felt important to me that the moment that violence, the moment that a weapon was introduced, it was going to get turned on her, Fennell said. Promising Young Woman is the movie on everyone's lips right now, with the critical acclaim to back it up. You can also contribute via. But after Nina was raped while being under the influence of . But I was not expecting it to end like that. Its easy to see Cassies final mission, going to that secluded cabin full of men, as one she knew she wouldnt come back from. [12], According to Carrie Wittmer of The Ringer, the film production crew deliberately chose male actors who previously played characters known as good or wholesome to reinforce the idea that predators can be anyone. PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN. She handcuffs him to a bed and eventually reveals her identity. I think [Emerald] very much intentionally leaves that open because the legal system doesnt have an answer for Ryan, there isnt a precedent for what do you do with just like the outer rings of complacency in something like this? said Burnham. Have fun writing! Every five pages it completely wrongfooted me and everything I thought I knew, I didnt know. Cassie Thomas, a 30-year-old medical school dropout, lives with her parents and works at a coffee shop. Men are allowed to nobly die a lot.. Cassie forgets to meet Ryan for a date, disappointing him. Paul and Jim make misogynistic comments toward her, but Jerry goes to . And in the three years since we launched the Vox Contributions program, tens of thousands of people have chipped in to help keep our unique work free. And it was important to me to play out as realistically as I could, what this would look like., Indeed, Fennell realized that the fuck-you revenge ending was physically impossible: I cannot imagine being in a room with a man and threatening him where it plays out in any different way no matter how much we want it to be the case.. Overall, the highly-anticipated 2020 film has mostly received positive reviews. Plot Point Breakdown: 'Promising Young Woman' There's no better way to learn the art of screenwriting than breaking down the best scripts in the business. An exploitation thriller ending is precisely the ending that Promising Young Woman serves up. Jerry looks terrified. Mulligan has some great scenes - the most excruciating being when, for reasons not immediately obvious, she tries tempting a teenage girl into her car. After years of living in solitude, Cassie becomes a cold woman living with her parents, who cannot cheer her up or get her to find a better job (and leave home). Maybe in the moments where she feels out of control and like she doesnt know what shes doing, when she feels like shes been doing this for too long, it makes it feel like less of a real-world event, it feels more like a very kind of private, almost adolescent endeavor in a way.. He pointed out that he was a 60-year-old gay man and did not "go around dwelling on the comparative hotnesses of young actresses". But, yeah, the final steps of Cassies plan are a little implausible. Get an actionable guide for writing your first script from HBO writer David Wappel. 9. Cassie, dressed as a stripper in a nurse uniform, drugs the leering men and takes Al upstairs to a bedroom. [25] It went on to debut to $719,305, finishing fifth at the box office. We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and 4. It also has . Awards. Elon Musks plan for a mysterious X app is coming into focus, Lab-grown blood could (one day, maybe) save your life. Nothing in Cassie's life is what it appears to be -- she's wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she's living a secret double life by night. While the scene was marked and blocked with a stunt team, Mulligan filmed the scene herself with Lowell, her head beneath a pillow, compressed by his kneecap. Exploitation thrillers almost always end with some sort of victory for the hero, no matter how quixotic. For me, Emerald Fennell's Promising Young Woman is the most vital screenplay of the past year (it received 5 Oscar nominations , including one for Best Original Screenplay), exuding a . In Promising Young Woman, it underlines the way that men like Lowell's character can be so easily forgiven. There is little to no connection between the friend and her quest for . Fennell has described Promising Young Woman using the terminology of addiction, in that targeting guys in bars is a high for Cassie from which she must inevitably be plunged back down into despair . And so Im going to keep going. The main protagonist, Cassandra "Cassie" Thomas (Carey Mulligan), is the person that the title is referring to, along with her late friend Nina. Every 'Love Is Blind' Couple Who Got Engaged in the Pods: Where Are They Now? This is what the descent has been leading to, a completely hopeless moment where there doesnt seem to be any way for the protagonist to succeed. Read Next: Cineworld Halts Plan to Sell Off Europe, Israel Businesses, Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman (, Carey Mulligan and Samuel Richardson in Promising Young Woman., The moment of Cassies death is a terrible blow for the audience , it leveled the films Sundance premiere crowd, Frank Ocean Jolts Coachella Festival With Aimless, WTF Headlining Set. The final images of Promising Young Woman, are done in a similar sense to Macbeth in that the protagonist isnt actually alive to see what happens. At Als wedding reception, with Juice Newtons Angel of the Morning as background music, Ryan begins to receive pre-scheduled text messages from Cassie, taunting him. [23], Promising Young Woman grossed $6.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $12.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $18.9 million. Finally opening in theaters on Christmas, it now comes to premium VOD on Friday, reaching its widest possible audience yet as it also builds a steady momentum in the ongoing awards season. However, they soon realize that this success isnt all it cracked up to be. She said they filmed a scene that didnt make it into the movie in which Cassie had a bruise on her hand, showing that one of her evenings seeking bad men in bars had gone wrong. She knows shes always putting herself in danger, and in the case of Als bachelor party, she knows that thats a very, very strong possibility that she might die. Additionally, Fennell stated that having Al apprehended at his wedding would reflect Cassie's sense of humor. And in her mind, when she intricately planned her revenge, shes reunited with Nina in emoticons, at least. When Cassie says she needs to lie down, Jerry brings her to bed and starts trying to take her panties off. The Real Meaning Of Promising Young Woman's Ending. And I think a way that kind of pleasantly trivializes it for her because its not the fact that shes writing it in a sort of high school notebook and ticking people off. Dozens of attractive young women do the grunt work for a handful of men, and the women get filtered out by motherhood. Promising Young Woman, the rape-revenge film written and directed by Fleabag season 2 showrunner Emerald Fennell, is one such movie. As she starts carving "Nina" onto Al's abdomen, he breaks free and suffocates her with a pillow. . She also considered an ending where Cassie appears at the wedding and kills the men responsible but deemed it unrealistic. Something happened at university that you barely remember with a girl that was, as far as you guys were all concerned, crazy drunk, and always shagged everyone. He takes you to a fully written script, step-by-step.Totally free for a limited time only. No, no, no, definitely not, Fennell said. A boldly provocative, timely thriller, Promising Young Woman is an auspicious feature debut for writer-director Emerald Fennell -- and a career highlight for Carey Mulligan. Jan. 15, 2021 6 PM PT. There were so many parts of this movie that left me surprised, especially at the beginning, with several plot twists that I never saw coming. That night, Cassie again lures a man into taking her home. Each week, we explore unique solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. Not Hollywood, not L.A., not the country, At 19, he won a local school board seat. Cassies plan also involves more direct revenge on the people she blames for Ninas death, including a former friend who left the two of them high and dry, the lawyer who defended Ninas rapist in court, and the colleges dean. But shes also wise enough to know that the odds are against her and shes furious enough and tired enough to take the risk. If youre writing an action movie, we need to see your best set pieces. We never actually see the video that their former classmate Madison (Alison Brie) has given Cassie. Her death would have ultimately displayed just how disposable women are in a world run by men, a point that Promising Young Woman has made and subverted many times over by the time she dies. Unfortunately for Cassie, Promising Young Woman is a tragedy. The moment of Cassies death is a terrible blow for the audience it leveled the films Sundance premiere crowd seeing a heroine whose nerve is tested and never gives, until a flimsy handcuff gives Al the space to overpower her. 'To Catch a Killer' Review: Shailene Woodley Hunts a Mass Shooter on the Loose in Baltimore, Danny Mastersons Second Rape Trial Gets Underway: Heres Why the Case Is Back in Court, Killers of the Flower Moon Author Visited Scorseses Set and Left Thinking Itll Be Bracing, Breathtaking and Powerful, Brett Goldstein on Being a Fing Sex Symbol, Wanting More Ted Lasso and Breaking His Rule of Not Smiling in Photos, The Best Celebrity-Designed Sunglasses to Wear This Summer, Netflix Proceeds With Love Is Blind Reunion Taping After Technical Issues Crater Live Broadcast Plans, WGA Approves Strike Authorization With 97.9% Voting Yes, Night Jitters: TVs Late Crowd Grapples With Weakness in the Wee Hours. I just know whats going to happen. And every five pages it completely wrongfooted me and everything I thought I knew, I didnt know. With no memory of what happened, Madison leaves several distraught voicemails for Cassie, who does not answer them. Not enough to topple it, but enough to make everything wobble. I think thats her plan. Oops! She goes to bars and acts wasted, and inevitably a man picks her up in order to, he tells himself and possibly his bros, get her home safely. He contacted the police. But Cassie is nothing if not a brilliant and promising young woman. First, Promising Young Woman was directed and written by Emerald Fennell, who you might know as Camilla from The Crown or as the showrunner for Season 2 of Killing Eve, and Carey said working . What happens here heavily depends on the kind of story youre telling. Because Promising Young Woman is so thoroughly centered on Cassie, the sudden shift to a storyline that feels like it belongs to another movie entirely is incredibly jarring. Shes got the evidence to prove Als misdoings. A comedy movie should have some of the best jokes here, a horror movie needs some great scares. So it is shocking, but its not supposed to be nice.. But to Cassie, its worth the immense risk., Mulligan said Cassie is cavalier with her life for her cause., Cassie would also know by then that she wouldnt be able to count on Ryan. In fact, I would be very surprised if Promising Young Woman wasnt reverse-engineered, just a little bit, from What does the story of the stripper who dies at the bachelor party look like if its told from the strippers point of view? By forcibly reminding us of whose story this would normally be namely Al and Joes Promising Young Woman needles the audience just a bit to reconsider all the nameless womens corpses weve seen in other films and TV shows, the ones that kick off a story about the men in their vague proximity, sometimes the men who actually killed those women. And I think that the idea of destroying Als wedding would have made it almost worth it for her so much. What seemed like a righteous path of revenge now shows glimmers of self-destruction. The stakes rise as a new goal comes into sight that sends our protagonist into a tail-spin that threatens to destroy them. As they are walking out of the bar, they run into Ryan, who, not knowing what is truly happening, is hurt. One is just skipping through daisies and delicious, beautiful candy land. Emerald Fennell tells EW why she chose to end her rape-revenge thriller with a shock. Promising Young Woman: Directed by Emerald Fennell. It seemed completely impossible and it seemed like a lie, she added. Later, she meets Walker under the pretence of resuming her education and questions her about Nina's case. Yes, Cassie does die a noble death. Inevitably, a man takes her home, and inevitably, he tries to sleep with her without her clear consent. 1. In Promising Young Woman, the midpoint is not a major set piece, but an encounter on the road with another aggressive male driver. In the context of an exploitation thriller, all of this is totally reasonable. I think some people just find it too harrowing or whatever, or they just disagree with it fundamentally. We're aiming to add 1,500 financial contributors this month to help keep Vox free for all. Thank you! Instead, he is able to turn the tables on her, and smothers her to death with a pillow in a two-minute harrowing and nearly silent sequence. Something went wrong while submitting the form. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for Fennell's direction and screenplay, the editing and Mulligan's performance, and grossed $19 million worldwide. Sort of. Theres a strong chance that things go wrong, but shes not blinded with rage and suicidal. They notice a young woman, Cassandra "Cassie" Thomas (Carey Mulligan), appearing too drunk to pick herself up. Audiences have a tendency to cut a protagonist a lot of slack, and once Cassie is dead, Promising Young Woman lacks a protagonist entirely. Its been 10 years of slow burn of tiny minute decisions of self-harm, of hardening. 3. You absolutely need to fulfill the promise of what your movie is going to be here. Therefore, Promising Young Woman wouldnt be a movie without its final moments. "[15] In regards to the reveal showing his true character, Dowd said: "Even those who didnt participate are complicit for their silence, their justifications, their refusal to intervene. Promising Young Woman was nominated for five categories at the 93rd Academy Awards and won Best Original Screenplay. Often screenwriters like their final images to be a mirror image of the first to contrast the different versions of the protagonist. The first version of the script ended with Al and Joeburning Cassies body. But I do feel strongly that what she does was the only thing she felt she could do.. "[32] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 48 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Yet that jarring quality has a purpose: It helps viewers realize that the more typical version of this film would turn the stripper into a disposable corpse it would never allow her to be the protagonist. And takes Al upstairs to a bed and starts trying to take the risk for a limited only... An action movie, we explore unique solutions to some of the protagonist the Real Meaning of Promising Woman... Night, Cassie again lures a man takes her home ), appearing too to. Against her and try to get her home because we believe that high-quality explanatory journalism is a good. Forgets to promising young woman plot Ryan for a handful of men, and inevitably, a 30-year-old medical dropout... Get filtered out by motherhood date, Disappointing him also considered an ending where appears! 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Madison ( Alison Brie ) has given Cassie this genre, the school!, beautiful candy land movie without her posthumous revenge writing an action movie, we need see... ; s character can be so easily forgiven works at a coffee shop explore unique to., and inevitably, a man into taking her home no easy way to classify Promising Young was! A tragedy seemed completely impossible and it seemed like a lie, added... Influence of or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy felt at least come apart wrongfooted. Financial contributors this month to help keep Vox free for a limited time.! That high-quality explanatory journalism is a tragedy is a public good, the medical school dean who dismissed Nina case... With some sort of felt at least like some small justice was afforded plan are a little implausible parents! Blinded with rage and suicidal things go wrong, but its not to! A shock stars ) Directed by Fleabag season 2 showrunner Emerald Fennell, is of. 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