What I loved about Promising Young Woman was how it showed that sexual predators come in various forms. They can be 'nice guys', they can be creeps, they can be doctors...
The film also does a fantastic job of pointing out how men often get the upper hand when facing rape allegations. Although many men are falsely accused, I've no doubt that many more get away with it - an issue deeply embedded in our society.
As for the unhappy ending—and I speak purely as a film critic here—it was refreshing. As 99% of Hollywood films have a happy ending, they're predictable and any moments of peril are quickly offset by the knowledge that it will all be okay in the end. Sadly, that's not always the case for victims of abuse and this film does well to remember that.
Your comment about happy endings resonates. My husband was disappointed with the dark ending, but I thought it was the perfect ending to make Fennell's point.
What I loved about Promising Young Woman was how it showed that sexual predators come in various forms. They can be 'nice guys', they can be creeps, they can be doctors...
The film also does a fantastic job of pointing out how men often get the upper hand when facing rape allegations. Although many men are falsely accused, I've no doubt that many more get away with it - an issue deeply embedded in our society.
As for the unhappy ending—and I speak purely as a film critic here—it was refreshing. As 99% of Hollywood films have a happy ending, they're predictable and any moments of peril are quickly offset by the knowledge that it will all be okay in the end. Sadly, that's not always the case for victims of abuse and this film does well to remember that.
For my full review of Promising Young Woman head to Salty Popcorn: https://saltypopcorn.substack.com/p/4-promising-young-woman
Your comment about happy endings resonates. My husband was disappointed with the dark ending, but I thought it was the perfect ending to make Fennell's point.