Promising Young Woman perfectly captures female anger

Oscar-winner Promising Young Woman serves as a reminder that female anger is more than just a fictional narrative *Spoilers

Winning an Oscar for best original screenplay last year, Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman astonished the world with its fearlessly provocative treatment of a fictional revenge plot. The thriller follows protagonist Cassie (Carey Mulligan) as she ceaselessly seeks revenge after the rape and suicide of her best friend, Nina, at medical school. Chance encounters and mysterious double lives lead Cassie to constantly relive the trauma of losing Nina to the hands of notorious yet popular frat boy Al Monroe (Chris Lowell). The film has been rightfully praised for its shockingly accurate portrayal of rape culture and victim blaming, with a few twists to prove that not everyone is as they seem – even those you think you can trust the most. Although it makes for an uncomfortable watch at times, it continues to provoke the systemic issues of misogyny, sexual abuse and victim blaming that continue to hit the headlines to this very day.

Take the last month, for example: Prince Andrew settled in his civil sexual assault case against Virgina Giuffre; Dame Cressida Dick resigned after her failings in the Met police; and Mina Smallman spoke out about being gaslit as “unreasonable or emotional”, after the appalling treatment of her two daughters when they were murdered in June 2020.

In light of these awful events, the fictional portrayal of Cassie's anger in Promising Young Woman becomes a powerful tool for female identification. Equally, the failings of those in charge including Dean Walker (Connie Britton), whose words, “We get accusations like this all the time” prove just how many safeguarding mistakes are made along the way.

Promising Young Woman remains a crucial reminder of the anger felt by women in real life who have been failed by both their attackers and the people who were supposed to protect them. The Reclaim These Streets movement continues to raise awareness of this subject, with aims to ensure no woman has to be asked, “Text me when you get home” again.

On the homepage of its website, Reclaim These Streets claims: “It’s wrong that the response to violence against women requires women to behave differently, so Reclaim These Streets speaks up on street harassment of women and girls, educates boys and men to take responsibility for the problem of violence against women and girls, and works to challenge misogyny in the way our laws are written and enforced.”

While the solution to violence against women is a long way away, Promising Young Woman remains a powerful watch for those wanting to identify, grieve or simply understand female rage.