2020 is coming down to close in just a matter of days and typically this is the time of year where a majority of studios bank on some their movies getting that Oscar buzz, and it’s weird to say that the Oscar buzz isn’t the way it used to feel this time last year. It’s definitely among the film community in some respect, but it doesn’t have as strong of a presence as it probably should. We’ll have to wait and see how the Oscars pan out next year because as of right now they’re still slated for Sunday April 25th, 2021. Looking back at 2020, it’s a shame knowing we have to wait a little longer for the bigger movies (Dune, Black Widow, No Time to Die or In the Heights) and there’s no telling what the status of movie theaters will be six months from now. With that being the case, 2020 did give us some great movies that definitely were successes, either critically or commercially. We had the stylish and hip The Gentlemen, the action comedy Bad Boys For Life, a replication of Hollywood studio filmmaking in Mank or the bold and bombastic action flick Tenet. 2020 had a number of great films under it’s belt, but without a doubt or any hesitation, the definitive and best movie of the whole year is Promising Young Woman. It’s engaging, bleak, satirical and oddly poignant, but the best thing about this movie is the hype for this movie is well deserved. Carey Mulligan gives the performance of a lifetime and maybe the best performance of the entire year. This movie will floor you.
In the vein of being a thriller and a dark comedy, Promising Young Woman focuses on a young woman named Cassandra Thomas, or Cassie for short. She’s smart, attractive but she lives her life in almost solitude, that is until she’s reminded about a traumatic event in her past. The resurfacing of this tragic situation motivates Cassie to seek out vengeance against any of those who cross her path.
We all love a good revenge story. John Wick, Taken or The Revenant centralize on characters seeking out revenge for something someone did horribly wrong. Promising Young Woman is the most unique and original revenge tale in a long time because it compacts on some serious and heavy subject matter, but executes it with strong effectiveness. In her directorial debut, Emerald Fennell expertly crafts a story about one woman who’s so dedicated in getting recrimination for the people that damaged her life, even into the young woman that she is now. Something that this movie does beautifully is it wonderfully sympathizes with Cassie, as a character, and the incentives are presented productively. A good revenge story has to have secured conviction otherwise there’s virtually no point, but Promising Young Woman doesn’t have to worry about that. This movie is fully engaging and each scene adds more to digest and every piece of the puzzle is haunting and effective demonstration of the power of perspective and how getting inside the mindset of a character who’s hurting, yet can still walk around with motivation. Promising Young Woman is also striking in its visual style. The colors in this movie really pop with vibrance and grove to it, almost like candy. Almost every shot has this sweet and glossy vibe to it, despite the dark subject matter that’s at hand.
Carey Mulligan is an actress that has been nominated for a Best Actress nomination in the past. She has plenty of talent in the majority of her work but she has yet to have her true solo act. Her performance in Promising Young Woman is what Heath Ledger’s performance was in The Dark Knight. She’s wickedly funny, extremely frightening and she strikes a perfect balance at someone who’s very emotional about achieving one specific thing that she really cares about but also plays a character that hides all that emotion. Right from the beginning of the movie and to end she magnetics carries this entire movie through her emotive and unforgettable performance. It’s really rather difficult for an actor to pull this off and Carey Mulligan pulls it off. She’s absolutely fantastic and captivating in this movie and the is a role that will be studied and analyzed for years to come in future film classes. I expect a nomination for her at next year’s Oscars.
Promising Young Woman is the best movie of the year and in a year where it should have been much a bigger and exciting, Promising Young Woman closes out 2020 with something that is really special. This an engrossing, inventive and refresh take on a revenge story and it wonderfully exhibits the talent that director Emerald Fennell has in store. Carey Mulligan is absolutely alluring in this movie, the movie is enthralling to look at and even the music captures the vibes and the essence of her journey. This is a movie that is not to be missed.
My grade for Promising Young Woman: A+
Zane's take at the Cinema's 