2020 has been a great year for female directors, which I will continue to harp upon as I manage to watch and review more films over the course of the next couple of months.
‘Promising Young Woman’ is by far one of the most intriguing and beguiling films of 2020 which boasts a mesmerising performance by Carey Mulligan – just when you think that Mulligan has reached the zenith of her career, she pulls yet another rabbit out of her hat.
Dark, wild and enticing the film packs some thrilling punches as it traverses a rather unconventional path when it comes to the genre, bolstered by some sharp writing and a fresh screenplay by Emerald Fennell – in her feature directorial debut.
Labelled as ‘Too Cathartic’ by a leading news platform, I refuse to reduce the experience to something as simplistic as that. This needs to be seen as a complete package with a provocative, powerful and deeply layered performance by Mulligan who dives deep into her character – scarred, flawed yet steadfast.
We need more films like Promising Young Woman that talk about some unfortunate evils and uncomfortable truths that exist in society and if that’s ‘Too Cathartic’ so be it.