Promising Young Woman is described as a thriller, and I would say that's an accurate representation of its content. [43] It was finalised at six categories and won two awards, for Best Original Screenplay and Outstanding British Film. When Cassie abducts a young girl named Amber (Francisca Estevez) from her school under the guise that she is a make-up artist on a job for a popular boy band. Promising Young Woman is a 2020 thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Emerald Fennell in her feature directorial debut. There was no investigation by the school or consequences from the legal system. A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path. Additionally, Fennell stated that having Al apprehended at his wedding would reflect Cassie's sense of humor. I mean, I dont want to put people off, I didnt do it as a kind of shocking thing. Now that its available on VOD, perhaps those conversations will happen in living rooms, over text and (lord help us) on Twitter. Will you help us keep Vox free for the next nine years by making a gift today? Lets break them down. However, the film's banal plot, two-dimensional characters and resulting lack of . It sort of felt at least like some small justice was afforded.. But I think for everyone who joined it, they really kind of understood it on quite a sort of deep kind of physical level, Fennell said. But Cassie is nothing if not a brilliant and promising young woman. The bold look of Promising Young Woman supports a darkly comic mix of thriller, romance and social issues. But Promising Young Womans concluding moments, when Cassies plan brings down Al at his own wedding, the movie places all of its chips on exploitation thriller. Promising Young Woman's Flaws Run Deeper Than Its Bad Ending. [44] It was nominated for four categories at the 78th Golden Globe Awards,[45] and six at the 26th Critics' Choice Awards. Now, Cassie routinely avenges Nina by going to bars and pretending to be drunk. This article contains major plot revelations from Promising Young Woman. [25] It went on to debut to $719,305, finishing fifth at the box office. Fennell agreed that Cassie was not on some sort of suicidal death trip. In the morning, his best friend Joe (Max Greenfield) finds him next to Cassie. Read critic reviews . Google Pay. If theaters were currently open nationwide, audiences would be exiting cineplexes talking energetically about Promising Young Woman about Mulligans tour-de-force performance, and what its saying about the world in which we live. This woman is going to do something terrible to you, she said. We cant rely on ads alone to do that. One look at the video proving Ryans presence at Ninas rape brings an end to that. But things dont go according to plan. After all, from Als point of view, he would be scared for his life. The police begin to investigate her disappearance, and it seems that because of Cassies rage-filled hobby, that Al will get away with it. Cassie soon puts in motion the final stage of her revenge: She will crash Al's remote bachelor party dressed as a sexy nurse stripper, drug his groomsmen and teach Al a lesson by handcuffing him . I have a test that I sometimes apply to works of fiction, especially movies. 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. We shouldnt have to live like this. Shes got the evidence to prove Als misdoings. They would also be discussing and probably arguing about its ending. The rom-com is over, with Ryan having been found to be just as shitty as all the other guys. With Arc Studio, you stay focused while writing your screenplay, craft better stories, and collaborate with ease. Every week, 29-year-old Cassie Thomas goes to a nightclub alone and pretends to be drunk. We can infer that Cassie has a generally antagonistic attitude towards men she doesnt know, so we expect this incident to go similarly, but Ryan appears to be a charmer. On set, Fennell told Lowell, Youre a good guy. Instead, through a partnership between sister companies Focus Features, Universal Pictures and, List of accolades received by Promising Young Woman, "Indie filmmakers see profit in straight-to-streaming releases", "Carey Mulligan To Star In FilmNation, LuckyChap Thriller 'Promising Young Woman' EFM", "Bo Burnham to Star Opposite Carey Mulligan in 'Promising Young Woman'; Alison Brie, Connie Britton, Adam Brody & More Round Cast", "Clancy Brown Boards 'Promising Young Woman' at Focus Features", "Carey Mulligan on Taking on Toxic Men and Performing Paris Hilton's Song in 'Promising Young Woman', "Carey Mulligan Exacts Sweet Revenge Across Los Angeles in 'Promising Young Woman', "How 'Promising Young Woman' Weaponizes Hollywood's Nice Guys", "Let's Talk About the Knockout Ending of 'Promising Young Woman', "Focus Boards Carey Mulligan Thriller 'Promising Young Woman', "Sundance Unveils Female-Powered Lineup Featuring Taylor Swift, Gloria Steinem, Abortion Road Trip Drama", "Focus Features to Release PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN on April 17", "Promising Young Woman will be available to rent starting next week", "How To Watch Promising Young Woman Streaming", "A deep dive into Promising Young Woman's creative prowess", "Review: Carey Mulligan holds the wild revenge-thriller provocations of 'Promising Young Woman' together", "The Agony And Subversion Of The 'Promising Young Woman' Ending", "Promising Young Woman makes smart, devious use of Bo Burnham", "Oscars Nominations: 'Mank' Leads with 10 Noms, Plus 'Nomadland,' 'Judas,' 'Minari,' 'Sound of Metal,' and More", "Longlists, 2021 EE British Academy Film Awards", "2021 EE British Academy Film Awards: The Nominations", "Nominations for the 78th Golden Globe Awards (2021) Announced", "Critics Choice Awards: 'Mank' Leads With 12 Nominations, Netflix Makes History With Four Best Picture Nominees", "The 2020 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award Nominations", "Read the 'Promising Young Woman' Script by Emerald Fennell (EXCLUSIVE)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Promising_Young_Woman&oldid=1149956770, This page was last edited on 15 April 2023, at 13:46. It was not fun all, Mulligan said. 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. You might love the new Carey Mulligan movie Promising Young Woman. We timed it out. Often screenwriters like their final images to be a mirror image of the first to contrast the different versions of the protagonist. She is unsteady on her feet, her eyes unfocused, her speech slurred. She threatens to release the video if Ryan doesnt tell her where Al is having his stag party. They clearly gel well, but an awkward encounter outside Ryans apartment shows that Cassie isnt entirely ready for this relationship. Maybe everything Cassie did was for nothing. She meets another former classmate and friend, Madison McPhee, who continues to deny Nina was raped. Ryan tells her and disingenuously asks for forgiveness while shrugging off his own culpability. Promising Young Woman: Quick Plot Summary. We were under the impression that these acts of revenge were giving Cassie a sense of closure, but instead is flaring up deep-seeded rage. He said about two-and-a-half minutes. 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.. In Promising Young Woman, that moment comes in the form of Cassie pulling her trick on the unsuspecting men of the citys clubs. She hates him so much!. Written by: Emerald Fennell. At times the film's tone can feel inconsistent, and for all its darkness and nihilism the film's use of irony sometimes feels a little heavy-handed. ', But all along the way, Fennell said, Cassie was actively choosing to avenge Nina it wasnt some sort of fate orchestrated from on high. Or are they? Indeed, if the movie were a pure character study, Al and Joe would have likely gotten away with murder. The main innovation of "Promising Young Woman" lies in the ebbs and flows between "internal" and "external"conflict that define the film's direction. [3][4], In February 2019, Focus Features acquired distribution rights to the film. Focus . A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path. Shes never done anything like that in this movie. But one thing seems almost certain: You will have strong feelings about its ending. His first civics lesson? Its completely unrelenting. Leading an uneventful existence, still living with her . What does this story look like from the point of view of one of the minor characters? is a useful question for any writer to ask themselves about what theyre writing. [48] Most of the awards were directed to Mulligan and Fennell, for the performances, screenplay as well as direction, respectively. And then it also requires seeing who Cassie is within the context of her relationship with Ryan (its rom-com side). And you see that quite a lot in this movie, so, it really could be anything.. All Rights Reserved. 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. By inconsistent, I do not mean the ideology purported by the film but the treatment of the film itself. Here are 22 essential L.A. spots for every tourist, Column: We cant afford another writers strike. through the male gaze) or as a psychopath . It also has . With Arc Studio pro, you stay focused while writing your screenplay, craft better stories, and collaborate with ease. But figuring out what makes Cassie tick requires following her as she terrifies the guys who take her home from the bar or confronts the people she holds responsible for Ninas death (the movies exploitation thriller plot). Indeed, when the police come to ask him questions about her disappearance which would be a chance for him to do the right thing and say shed gone to Als party he protects his old friend and sells her out reinforcing the detectives idea that she was unstable.. It stars Carey Mulligan as a troubled young woman haunted by a traumatic past as she navigates balancing forgiveness and vengeance, with Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Chris Lowell, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, and Connie Britton in supporting roles. "[40] Dowd added that the casting of Burnham, who "comes across as nonthreatening" and has "a boyish quality," assisted the use of the character. Maybe through her blossoming relationship with Ryan she can find a path forward. Im used to reading scripts where I go like, Oh, I know where this is going. Jan. 15, 2021 6 PM PT. By this I mean that if I find something that happens in a movie implausible but not impossible, I consider whether the movie would be as successful without it. Dressed to kill, at night, Cassie frequents the local bars and nightclubs, pretending to be dead-drunk, utterly helpless and vulnerable. Cassie smashes up his car in a state of vitriol we hadnt seen before. Although the first meeting goes well, it does eventually end up in both characters going on a date. Smart, bold, and refreshingly original, Emerald Fennell's Promising Young Woman marks the feature directorial debut of a major filmmaking talent. Despite its nihilism and hyper-focus on vengeance, the film leans into the romantic genre a lot. Here we usually meet any characters of consequence to the story, the settings, the tone, and anything else that helps frame whats to come next. Could Ryan be the one? 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