I must warn you that this movie may not be to everyone's taste, because of its strange mix of genres, a plot close to a revenge thriller, sometimes it is a romantic movie, a drama and at the same time it has a lot of black comedy and even absurd moments.

Promising Young Woman is the directorial debut of Emerald Fennell, who also wrote the script. Doesn't her name ring a bell? Are you sure you don't know who she is? I'm sure if you see a picture of her, you'll recognize her. Fennell is a British actress who has played small roles in films and series such as Trial & Retribution and The Danish Girl. But her face will be more familiar if you are a fan of the series The Crown, because she plays Camila Parker Bowles in seasons 3 and 4 of the successful series Netflix. Now, if you recognize her...

But that's not all. Emerald Fennell is also a writer, having published her first novel Shiverton Hall, in 2013, aimed at teenage audiences. The book received good reviews and was selected as a finalist for the 2014 Waterstone Children's Book Award. Her writing talents led Phoebe Waller-Bridge to join her as a Showrunner for the second season of the hit series Killing Eve, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award.

That's why she assured them that, although her name may not ring a bell, they have surely seen some of her work, either as an actress or as a writer. Now she is making her debut as a director, with a story that addresses a topic as sensitive as sexual abuse. And she does so with a style of her own, perhaps with a film that has moments out of place in the narrative, but when the end comes, we are left with a bitter but satisfying taste in our mouths.

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What is the plot of Promising Young Woman?

Cassandra (Cassie) was once a brilliant student at Medina and seemed to have a successful future, but due to a fact we don't know about, she dropped out of school several years ago. She still lives at home with her parents, and seems to lead a double life. During the day, she works as a waitress in her friend's coffee shop, but at night she seems to frequent the bars, where she gets drunk and is always caught by men who want to take advantage of her being drunk to have sex with her. But in reality, everything is an act and she does all that, to teach men a lesson, trying to make amends for the past that torments her. One day she meets Jeff, a former classmate, who is now a pediatrician, love seems to blossom in her heart, but other people from the past will come back too, it's time for revenge.

The first sequence describes what Cassie actually does. A kind of vigilante, applying terror to give a lesson in morality to all those who want to take advantage of her drunkenness.

Something happened in the past, where she was a smart student, along with her best friend. It is that friend that is the reason Cassie acts the way she does. The years have passed, but the pain of losing her best friend haunts her.

Cassie seems to be lost. For her, her world has collapsed. She was devastated. She dropped out of medical school completely, has no boyfriend of her own, lives at home with her parents, who seem to want her to leave and straighten out her life.

Meeting Jeff will change her routine. Jeff is a good person, he is fun and seems to be totally in love with her. These two adults, will live their romance in a teenage way. The desire to go back to school, find a better job and leave that lifestyle, forgetting the terrible events of the past and establishing a serious relationship with Jeff seems to be the salvation of that sad woman.

But with Jeff's appearance, the news is coming from people in his past, former classmates, like Madison, who is now a happily married woman with children. Also from other classmates, who are now successful doctors and one of them is about to get married.

Everything seems to be lining up for Cassie to finally start doing justice. A justice that was once denied her and brought devastating consequences for her best friend. It's time to take action and plan a big payback against everyone involved.

All the parts of the film, which focus on revenge against the people who hurt her friend, are the best parts of the film, because they have a lot of black humor and I found them very funny.

The plot will also surprise us with three turns of the script, which will surprise, especially one that occurs at the climax of the film, which is shocking, because we do not know how they will solve the end, after a fateful scene. Already in its final part, there is a final twist, which will leave us with a bittersweet ending, but consistent with the whole story.

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Carey Mulligan plays Cassie, the daring woman who decides to take the law into her own hands. The loss of her friend is something she can never overcome and even finding love in a seemingly wonderful man will not make her give up her goal, no matter how much she puts her own life in danger. Mulligan is a wonderful actress and she is the main engine of the movie.

I am amazed at how the actress has aged. She had two years without a movie premiere. Her last film was in 2018, Wildlife, with Paul Dano. But the passage of time is already showing in her face. She is no longer a young actress whose career took off with the film Pride and Prejudice in 2005 and left us with great performances in films like Brothers, An Education, Never Leave Me, Shame, Drive and The Great Gatsby.

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The cast is completed with some actors known to the general public, some dedicated to comedy.

Laverne Cox, the transsexual actress, plays Gail, a friend of Cassie's and owner of the café where she works. Cox is known for having played Sophia Burset in the successful series Orange is the New Black.

The great actor Clancy Brown, plays Cassie's father, Stanley. The actor, who became famous for his role in Highlander, has been seen in many series and movies, including Pet Sematary Two and The Shawshank Redemption.

Loren Paul, an unknown actor, who has worked mostly in low-budget and independent films, plays Jeff, the pediatrician, a former classmate of Cassie's who had an affair with this woman, with whom he seems to be madly in love. I haven't seen anything of this actor, he plays his role, which has great importance in the story.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse, the always famous McLovin from the film Superbad and who has also participated in the funny films of Kick-Ass, plays a small role, as one of Cassie's victims. Also the actor Adam Brody, known for the character of Seth Cohen in the series The O.C. makes a brief appearance in the film.

And finally, I will mention the beautiful actress Alison Brie, who plays Madison. A former classmate, who was complicit in a terrible event by keeping silent, and who will now receive a lesson from Cassie. I love Alison Brie, and I still regret that they cancelled the series Glow, where she was the main character. How lucky Dave Franco is to have this woman as a partner. I hate you Dave!

Trailer

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POSTER

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