Film No. 84 (2020) December 29th. 1:40 PM. Cinema 2 LUNA Leederville.
"Good god all mighty. They put themselves in danger, girls like that. You think you’d learn by that age." (A man comments to his male friends as they observe Cassie drunkenly slumped on a seat in a nightclub).
I wasn’t sure what I was in for when I went to see this
film. What I got were elements of comedy, thriller, romance and drama all
entwined, following an unbelievable but highly effective storyline. It is
crafted in a way to deliver a strong message about rape culture and in doing so
empowers women and challenges the idea of slut shaming.
Carey Mulligan delivers a stunning performance as Cassie, a
single 30-year-old medical school drop-out who is highly disturbed by an event
from her past. From the perspective of others, Cassie is not living up to her
promise for success. Instead she works in a coffee store by day and by night
she seeks revenge on men who take advantage of drunk women in night clubs. As an
audience we are introduced to Cassie’s strange obsession straight away and are
intrigued as to how this has come about. When Cassie unexpectedly reunites with
Ryan (Bo Burnham), one of her old classmates from medical school, the traumatic
details from Cassie’s past are slowly revealed, keeping us on the edge of our
seats right until the very end.
As a female on the verge of 30, I was highly moved by this film having witnessed how some alcohol fuelled fun can quickly turn into regret if a man (who claims to be a ‘good guy’) takes advantage of the situation. The film challenges the view that women who drink themselves into a vulnerable position are at fault for what happens to them and the message is highly convincing. I don’t think you have to have had any personal experience with its themes to take something away from Promising Young Woman. At the very least, I guarantee entertainment for the entire 113 minutes and would be surprised if you were not left thinking about it for days or weeks to come. 12GUMS.
Sarah Greenwood
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