Jocelyn Noveck
December 22, 2020 - 7:11 AM
Is it a #MeToo-era revenge thriller? A 21st-century âFatal Attractionâ? A candy-colored feminist polemic, to strains of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears? A black comedy? A comic tragedy?
None of the above â and all of the above. Which is to say: a film as bracingly original as Emerald Fennellâs âPromising Young Woman" defies labels.
Hereâs a couple good adjectives, though: Startling â the only way to describe Fennellâs vision and execution in this, her directorial debut. And, sensational â a word that only begins to capture Carey Mulliganâs lead performance.
Weâve seen Mulligan command the screen before, and witnessed her consistently fearless stage work. But the tonal balancing act she conquers in this audacious, disconcerting film is something new entirely, and one wonders how many actors could even dream of pulling it off. Itâs been a decade since Mulligan, now 35, received her only Oscar nod, for âAn Education.â Letâs hope Oscar voters will be well educated by this latest effort.