012 LEAD REVIEW
is her masterstroke. She presents a world where sexual assault is shrugged
off as a folly, with men and women alike so uncomfortable with the
conversation, they can’t even bring themselves to utter the word rape. Mulligan, who time and time again proves her versatility with challenging
roles, is masterfully cast. Her vulnerability gives way to rage without
any hint of melodrama. Cassie is an often deeply disagreeable character,
tempered by Mulligan’s irrepressible charm, but perhaps the biggest
revelation is how funny she can be, too, effortlessly trading barbs
with Burnham, whose background in comedy makes him the perfect
awkward romantic foil. A family dinner sequence is a tension-relieving
delight, and there’s undeniable chemistry between the lovestruck pair.
In casting fellow soft-featured, floppy-haired stars such as Adam Brody,
Chris Lowell and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Fennell toys with notions
of what a predator looks like – so often they’re the men who purport
themselves to be “nice guys”. And sure, men can be otherwise decent,
while still shrugging off their behaviour as “boys being boys” and women
“overreacting ”. Similarly, the ubiquitous good girl Alison Brie delivers
a fine turn as Cassie’s former classmate Madison, a wine-chugging new
mommy, while Jennifer Coolidge (once known solely as ‘Stifler’s Mom’
from the American Pie franchise) is on perfect comic form as Cassie’s
loving but concerned mother. These details mean that Promising Young Woman at once exists as a part of
pop culture while also being in dialogue with it. Dropping Paris Hilton’s pop
classic ‘Stars Are Blind’ and the use of slow-creeping orchestral version of
Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ are fun touches, but they also prompt the viewer to
consider the way these women – who became famous young, and suffered
at the hands of the patriarchy – have had to fight to reclaim their own
narratives. Cassie recounts – with cool exterior yet seething with rage –the manner in which Nina disappeared after she was raped. Everything
became about her attacker and how he was affected. “It’s every guy’s worst
nightmare getting accused like that,” he says. Cassie smiles. “Can you guess
what every woman’s worst nightmare is?” Fennell’s film confronts us with our own complacency. There’s a controlled
sense of rightful anger at the culture which has always encouraged men
to take what they want, but beyond raging against abhorrent behaviour
which seems rampant within certain groups of men, Fennell points out how
women, too, are part of the machinery of rape culture, and how passivity
can be harmful in its own right. These home truths aren’t easy to stomach,
but they are necessary. We can all do better. This goes beyond men in dark
alleys or carrying mace when you walk alone at night. Sexual assault is
endemic within our culture. If a woman has not experienced some form
of sexual assault themselves, they know someone who has. Fennell’s film
is entertaining and peppy, but there’s an unshakable sadness that derives
from unflinching honesty. Beneath the lipstick and the eyeliner, it’s a searing
condemnation of how we think about sexual assault, the justice system and
the support available for survivors. May the anger it generates in audiences
spark some long-overdue change. HANNAH WOODHEADANTICIPATION. Intriguing premise, and Mulligan
is reliably great.ENJOYMENT. Cuts like a knife, and looks immaculate
while doing so.IN RETROSPECT. Bound to generate fierce debate; this
one really stays with you.