What "Promising Young Woman" Gets Right (and Wrong) About Sexual Violence and Justice
***Spoilers Ahead***
Promising Young Woman is a daring film about sexual violence that premiered in 2020 to critical success. The film follows Cassie, played by Carey Mulligan, who attempts to avenge the rape and subsequent suicide of her best friend, Nina, by acting extremely intoxicated at clubs, and then harming the men who attempt to take advantage of her. When Cassie finds out that Nina’s rapist is getting married, she begins a spree of revenge against those who harmed Nina during and after her assault, ultimately coming face-to-face with the man who raped Nina seven years prior.
This film, created by Emerald Fennell, highlights the fact that most people who cause harm are regular people. For example, every night that Cassie goes out, she finds at least one man who will bring her home under the guise of helping her, and then will proceed to attempt to have sex with her. The frequency of these violations shows that rapists are not scary, violent strangers roaming the streets with the intent to hurt people; rather, they are everyday guys that you would see on an average night out. Fennell continues to highlight the normalcy of these men by portraying them as self-described “nice guys.” At one point, a man who is taking advantage of “drunk” Cassie justifies himself to her by saying he’s “a nice guy” and discusses how oppressing women is “fucked up.” By emphasizing that those who cause harm may label themselves as nice, regular guys, Fennell communicates that rape is not an unfamiliar act that occurs in communities that we don’t belong to; sexual violence is pervasive and happens everywhere all the time.
While Fennell illustrates that those who cause harm are everyday people, these people are punished in the film in a manner that denies them their humanity. Throughout the film, Cassie inflicts pain on those who hurt Nina as a means of justice. Cassie uses power and control to torment an old friend who failed to support Nina after her assault as well as the dean who forced Nina to drop her case. These punishments don’t leave room for these people to take accountability for the harm they caused and take steps to ensure that they won’t cause harm in the future; all Cassie does is continue a cycle of violence. The film then ends with the arrest of Nina’s rapist, Al, which Cassie herself orchestrated before she died. Joyful music plays in the background as the police take Al into custody and Cassie’s plans fall into place. The celebration of Al’s arrest and the subsequent end of the film signifies that Al going to prison is this story’s happy ending. What the film forgets is that incarceration often does not serve to prevent someone from causing violence in the future. It does not show the legal hurdles that Nina’s family may have faced as they testified against Al, or how the criminal justice system often works against the interest of survivors of sexual violence.
While this film fails to present non-violent forms of justice, Promising Young Woman succeeds in shedding a light on the fact that perpetrators of violence are often supported by people with power, which intensifies the suffering of survivors. Cassie confronts everyone who harmed Nina one-by-one and tells them specifically how they contributed to Nina’s suffering. Cassie tracks down an old friend who dismissed Nina’s rape, the medical school dean whose lack of support contributed to Nina dropping out, and Al’s lawyer, who harassed and intimidated Nina until she dropped the charges. Cassie even threatens her own boyfriend when she discovers that he was present for Nina’s assault and did nothing to help her. Fennell chooses to keep track of how many people Cassie attempts to hold accountable for Nina’s suffering by numbering Cassie’s encounters with them. By explicitly counting how many people supported the perpetrator, Fennell makes clear that often those with influence empower those who cause harm. Portraying this lack of support for Nina shows the audience why sexual violence is under-reported and survivors often feel like their assault is their fault.
Promising Young Woman is one of the first mainstream feature films to address sexual violence so candidly and unapologetically. The creators of this film use their platform to confront myths surrounding sexual violence and communicate two truths to its audience: people who cause harm are everywhere and are often supported by dominant institutions. However, Promising Young Woman fails to present a form of accountability distinct from methods of power and control. Promising Young Woman is not a perfect representation of what sexual violence and justice looks like, but the film starts conversations around what accountability can and should look like that communities need to engage in.
Kyra McNerney
She/her
Privilege & Poverty Intern