Promising Young Woman 2020
B
I didn’t know much about this movie, but Universal was really pushing the home video release, I had a free rental, and the reviews were pretty solid, so I decided to watch. I knew nothing about the movie, which I think is better because there isn’t a whole lot to it. I think it is a timely topic for sure, but I’m not sure the approach really works, though for some maybe it will. The movie is entertaining and funny at times, though ultimately dark and kind of more of a fable than something that might actually happen, which is why I don’t entirely like the light hearted approach. Carey Mulligan does a good job in the main role with understated, but solid acting portraying a person with psychological issues based on past events (that’s all I will give away, but the spoilers reveal all). There are some good supporting roles by a large cast, but they are pretty minor since Mulligan carries the movie. Ultimately I think the movie wants to have some wicked fun with this character, but there is a little too much weight to the subject matter for that to work, which put me off. People who like horror movies will probably enjoy this more than those who do not, and I generally do not.
spoilers
The movie is about a date rape that occurred in the past and the victim was ignored despite coming forward and she seems to have comitted suicide. Her best friend is traumatized by what happened and becomes a vigilante of sorts, but unlike tough guy vigilantes, she doesn’t really embrace violence. That is okay since the conundrum with vigilantes is always that they are using the methods of their enemies against them, making them just the same thing. Still, she is paying a pretty serious price as she lets people start raping her before she confronts them. It is a little too easy to label her a crazy bitch, which she kind of is. Then ultimately she also commits suicide in a way, while the perpetrators live. How did she know she would be killed? That seems like a big leap, sort of like finding a bed you can attach handcuffs to or hoping a tiny girl can have a chance against horny drunk guys without anything really bad happening. Dozens of times. The sane people in the movie are the ones who maintained their silence about the rape, and admittedly they were young at the time and have hopefully changed while others were scarred for life. I feel like the movie is more sympathetic to the perpetrators than the victims in a way.
Written: 19 Apr 2021