Promising young woman is a cunning, feminist thriller disguised as a dark comedy with an important and relevant message. The film has been nominated for numerous #oscars this year and rightly so. Cassie (Carey Mulligan) is a wickedly smart and devious med-school dropout turned barista. She lives a double life unbeknown to her parents (whom she still lives with) where she attempts to catch out men taking advantage of drunk women. However, after an encounter with someone from her past, Cassie seeks out revenge on those responsible for a rape incident involving her best friend, Nina Fisher, at University. The film is filled with twists and turns that left me speechless- the entire screenplay was done incredibly well and unravels in such a creepy and slightly unsettling way. Carey Mulligan is great as the lead, she gives such a strong performance and is easily the standout of the film. Along the way she falls for Ryan (Bo Burnham) a paediatrician who has unexpected ties to the man responsible for Nina’s rape. The film tackles the major issue of rape and sexual assault so well; it is a film that not enough people are talking about.
It is extremely hard to talk about what makes this film fantastic without going into spoilers. However, I can say how brilliant the soundtrack is. The songs reflect the themes of the film so well and adds a lot to some of the scenes. While it does not compare to the soundtrack, the score is also adequate, although it is nothing special.
Overall, promising young woman is a clever, unnerving but brilliant film which without a doubt deserves to take home some of the Oscar’s its up for tonight.
