Review: 'Promising Young Woman' is Best Film of the Year
- Details
- Category: New Series and Movie Reviews
- Published: Wednesday, 23 December 2020 13:35
- Written by Lupe R Haas
Look no further for the best film and best actress of 2020. PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN starring Carey Mulligan is a film that will linger in your thoughts long after it's over.
In PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, Cassandra (Mulligan) preys on men at clubs and bars by pretending to be helpless while intoxicated. Then she gives them the surprise of their lifetime. Saying anything more would ruin the movie so let's talk in broad strokes. The drama also stars Laverne Cox, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Adam Brody, Jennifer Coolidge and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN is extremely cathartic as a woman seeing Cassandra take revenge like we've never seen before on these predators. It's not what you expect when using the word "revenge." While cathartic for women, men may see this as playing out more like a horror show. It definitely puts them on notice.
Something in her past has traumatized this young woman to the point where she's consumed by finding these predators. The viewer doesn't find out exactly what prompted Cassandra down this path, although we can surmise with the little bit of information the film drops here and there.
Carey Mulligan's performance is exceptional and engulfing to watch her journey down a dangerous path. The actress plays the character as an empty shell of a once vibrant woman that shines through once in a while.
And that ending!!! It's one you won't see coming, and the whole film is a big surprise from start to finish. The finale is poetic justice.
Written and directed by Emerald Fennell, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN doesn't give you the whole story. Instead it piece meals it together as the movie progresses which leaves the viewer glued to the screen. The dialogue is sparse because Cassandra only speaks when she has to. She's direct and can't be bothered with small talk.
Fennell who ironically stars as Camilla Parker Bowles in Netflix's "The Crown" is also one of the writers behind "Killing Eve." While a dark subject, Fennell makes sure to keep the cinematography light and colorful. Her subjects are well-lit especially one scene in which Cassandra is sitting alone in a club falling all over herself. The spotlight is on her as predators circle her. It leaves quite the impression.
If were able to gather in our usual work spaces, the film would definitely be the talk around the water-cooler or coffee machine.
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN is not your ordinary film, and so not only is it the best of 2020, but perhaps of all time.