“Promising Young Woman” Had Potential But Has Problems
Perhaps it was morbid curiosity which drew me to watch “Promising Young Woman," a film about a young woman (who’d-a thought?) who goes out at night to clubs and bars, where she pretends to be drunk until someone tries to “date rape” her, then reveals to her mortified assailant that she’s completely sober. This risky behavior, as the trailer alludes, is apparently her way of avenging her friend who committed suicide following a date rape experience. Of course, as the movie develops, so too do her revenge efforts.
I say it may have been morbid curiosity which drew me, not just because of the grisly nature of the premise (though there is that), but because I wondered just how “woke” the movie would get. Would it manage to do some good storytelling, or would it just be one big virtue signal? What I found was a mixed bag.
The Good
The film is neatly structured, loose ends tied up, which will likely give a certain satisfaction to many viewers. As debut feature films go, the writer-director (Emerald Fennell) shows some technical savvy.
There are a few interesting artistic/stylistic choices. For example, at first, it’s unclear exactly how far the protagonist is taking her revenge. Is she killing the men after she reveals that she’s sober? That and similar questions about her actions are formed in the audience’s mind and eventually answered throughout the film. The suspense created by not answering those questions right away is a nice touch to the exposition and unfolding drama.
The lead actress (Carey Mulligan) makes an unrealistic character believable. And, related, there are hints that the character may have some mental health issues (as one would, to be doing the things she does), though this is not explored closely; this lends a limited bit of credibility to the character, though it probably doesn’t go far enough. Either way, Mulligan smooths it over and, it’s safe to say, carries the film.
While the film is mostly about revenge, it also touches on contrition and forgiveness, suggesting that redemption is possible and forgiveness needn’t be withheld.
In general, the film addresses the issue of sexual assault in a unique way, striking a balance between treating the issue with solemnity and navigating it with a certain dark humor.
The Bad
From the first lines of the film, the ideological agenda is set: a group of men at a bar complain to each other about a female work associate, as though sexist chatter is a regular pastime among men when they get together. It’s not that a conversation like this never happens or couldn’t happen (though some of the delivery doesn’t help to suspend disbelief), but the fact that it’s happening in this particular film and in this particular moment in the film (the first scene, and just before the introduction of the protagonist), gives the impression that the film is set not in the real world but in a feminist’s fantasy world—a world where men are cartoonishly sexist, always occupied with hating on women.
The audience is not bereaved of that impression as the film continues. Indeed, almost every man in Fennell’s world is either sexist, guilty of sexual assault, or complicit in what feminists call “rape culture.” Even random men on the street or in traffic make lewd or rude comments to the protagonist. The male characters who aren’t so obviously wicked are passive or seemingly incompetent. It makes one wonder, “Is this how feminists really view the world? Do they not know any good, competent men?”
Now, to be fair, the film doesn’t paint all women as angels either. There are at least two female characters who are notably complicit in allowing a sexual assailant get away with victimizing a young woman. That, of course, only serves to underscore the message, the worldview of the feminist: Rape is pervasive. You’re either a victim or a victimizer. If you’re not doing something about it, you’re part of the problem. — This over-broad insinuation all too often dips the film (as predicted) into virtue-signaling and propagandizing, to a degree that really mars the film. The story would have rung truer if it was narrower in its implications, if it had seemed to say, “Watch out! These things really happen,” rather than, “Watch out! These things really happen everywhere all the time.”
On top of that (and related to it), there are some instances of poor acting and unbelievable moments, such as the scene when one of the men who’s falling for the protagonist’s trap, upon learning that she’s sober and being told that future date rape attempts could lead to his harm, runs off crying, “You guys ruin everything!” (“you guys” apparently meaning “women”). This just doesn’t seem like the way this kind of man would act in that situation. Perhaps it was supposed to be for comedic effect, to exaggerate the cowardliness of a person who would want to commit date rape in the first place, but the result was to once again cartoonize the bad guys. Rather than communicating, “These kinds of people really exist, and they’re cowards,” it had the effect of communicating, “These kinds of people probably don’t exist, at least not exactly as portrayed.”
To that point, another incredible aspect is that the protagonist has apparently pulled her stunt many times—dozens, at least—and has always been able to walk away. Are we to believe that, of the unscrupulous men who would take advantage of a drunk woman, none of them would be so unscrupulous as to act violently toward a sober woman?
Some may think I’m being too critical of the lack of realism in this film. After all, aren’t most films unrealistic in some way? Yes, but a film that wants to highlight a real problem would do well to portray the problem realistically. If the hero(ine) is not going to be particularly realistic (which in this case could be forgivable), certainly the villains should be. Otherwise, we’ve ventured away from portraying a real problem and into portraying a fictional problem, like any ol’ movie that has the bad guys almost taking over the world, or something like that. Unfortunately, modern feminists (like many on the political left) do have an unrealistic view of the world—namely, an inflated idea of the prevalence of such things as sexism and sexual assault. For that reason, it’s not surprising that this came through in the film, and did significant damage to it.
The Conclusion
There has been a heightened attention in recent years toward the problem of sexual abuse. This is welcome. Still, claims of its prevalence—like claims of racism’s prevalence—often seem overblown. “Promising Young Woman” invites us to believe that sexism and sexual assault are pervasive, but it doesn’t paint a world that is believable, and therefore fails to make a convincing case. Thus, the movie boxes itself in as a feminist fantasy. The premise had potential, and the film did some things well, but the weight of the ideology really marred the story and resulted in some implausible acting. For that reason, I’d give it a 5 or a 6 out of 10. If Emerald Fennell’s future projects can get away from a warped ideology (I won’t hold my breath), I’d say she’s the one who shows promise.
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