***spoiler alert***
promising young woman is a bold film about sexual violence that premiered in 2020 and was a critical success. The film follows Cassie, played by Carey Mulligan. Cassie attempts to avenge the rape and subsequent suicide of her best friend, Nina, by acting extremely drunk at her club and harming men who try to take advantage of her. When Cassie learns that she is married to Nina’s rapist, she begins to take revenge against those who harmed Nina during and after the assault, ultimately raping Nina seven years ago. face to face with a man
Created by Emerald Fennell, the film highlights the fact that most people who harm are normal people. For example, every night Cassie goes out, at least one of her men, under the guise of helping her, brings her to her house and tries to have sex with her. The frequency of these violations indicates that rapists are not scary, violent strangers who roam the streets with the intention of harming people. Rather, they are the everyday guys you see on your average night out. At one point, a man taking advantage of a “drunk” Cathy justifies himself to her by saying he’s a “nice guy” and discusses how oppressing women is “messed up”. By emphasizing that the person doing the harm may identify himself as a good, normal man, Fennell argues that rape is a familiar form that occurs in communities to which we do not belong. It’s telling you that it’s not a bad act. Sexual violence is pervasive and happening everywhere, all the time.
