Carey Mulligan is one of those rare actors who is not just at the very top of her craft but has, at least so far, shown the ability to be in nothing but the very best and most thoughtful works. A Promising Young Woman is one of the best of these works. For some reason Netflix has it billed as a comedy. There is some funny dialogue and some of the acts are darkly comic, but this is anything but a comedy. A Promising Young Woman is a devastatingly poignant skewering if the way that society reserves its outrage for those situations where the wrongdoing is black and white, where there is an obvious villain and victim. A victim who suits our image of what a victim should look like. Carey Mulligan gives a masterful performance and the film's delivery and pacing brings us to what ends up seeming like an inevitable yet heart wrenching conclusion. This is a truly great film. With a great and memorable performance. You should watch it. You should definitely watch it. It won't make you laugh. But it will stay with you in a way that few films do. It may even change you. Or something inside you. It is that powerful. It is that good.
Review of Promising Young Woman
