Is it true that most men are "good guys"? Emerald Fenenell explores this question in her directorial debut with a lot of black humor.
New York – British actress Carey Mulligan received her second nomination for an Oscar for the revenge thriller with black humor.
At the beginning of “Promising Young Woman” she can be seen as Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas in a bar, drunk, apparently in need of protection: She attracts the attention of men who are often spurred on by their suiting buddies, but come across as gallant. Often enough, one of them brings Cassie home and tries to sexually assault her after all. The men realize their problem too late: the woman has only pretended to be drunk and is out for retribution.
The directorial debut of the only 35-year-old Emerald Fennell asks whether it is really true that most men are “good boys” and where the boundaries between good and bad are crossed. She also wrote the script and won an Oscar for the material that goes with the "Me Too" zeitgeist.
Promising Young Woman, USA / England 2020, 108 min., Age 16+, by Emerald Fennell, with Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Jennifer Coolidge. dpa
