Promising Young Woman

Revenge-flick produit de l'ère #metoo emballé dans un packaging pop avec un casting agréable, une définition plus ambitieuse du personnage principal que celle à laquelle nous sommes habitués dans des films d'horreur de vengeance similaires. Carey Mulligan est charmante, mais les références à une performance d'actrice « oscarisée » sont hors de propos. De plus, le film ne dépasse en rien les limites créatives d'une simple gourmandise, il est original uniquement par son intégration du sujet dans le mainstream grand public. Le pseudo-enchantement scénaristique à la fin confirme en revanche ses limites créatives dans le cadre d'un simple drame adolescent rafraîchissant. Assassination Nation était plus audacieux et élégant dans les mêmes eaux. (27/01/2021)

Je me réjouissais énormément de voir ce film et j’ai été récompensé par un thriller remarquable et élaboré mené par une Carey Mulligan inhabituellement dure et déterminée – j’avais plutôt une image douce et délicate des femmes qu’elle incarnait. J'ai apprécié le mystère qui entourait Cassie et je me demandais constamment ce qui avait bien pu arriver dans son passé pour qu’elle se comporte de la sorte la nuit venue. Et dans le final, j’ai hurlé d'excitation ! (18/04/2021)

It would be tempting to say that it's an uncritical critical success primarily because of the subject matter and the gender behind the script and direction, but that would be unfair to the author. The qualities in this case are due to the way the current #MeToo issue is conceived "with balls" and free of obscene declamations. I don't share the objections to the author's black-and-white "men are pigs" vision when it's the women (Madison, the dean, the ambivalent anti-heroine Cassie herself) who contribute to the overall effect/impact of "rape culture" here, after all, that's what the two acts of the revenge plan are all about. What's more, even if it did, it rides such a surgically precise black-humor wave about an achingly serious subject with a clever, deliberately overblown 80s pop neon styling that it's impossible not to fall for. Carey, then, is as engrossing as she is disturbing with her complex "PTSD performance" in the whirlwind of a self-destructive spiral of vendetta, and so perhaps only the line with Ryan grates a little too much, because it's too obvious from the start why she's there and where she's going with it. The weakest link is of course the hotly debated ending. Not the ending itself – that one is perfect –, but rather the epilogue. On the face of it, it's delivered in a way that brings satisfaction, but the further away from the screening, the more obvious it becomes that it's redundant and takes the whole thing a bit too far. It could and should have ended already in a surgery or a non-literal postal package. (14/02/2021)

One of the few #metoo films with a heroine who’s an interesting and complex character, whose actions can be viewed quite critically, but are still somehow understandable. Add to that Carey Mulligan’s impressive performance and you get something really fun to watch, even if some situations stink of screenwriting meddling. Another thing worth mentioning is the soundtrack and one of the most satisfactory endings in a long time. (05/01/2021)

A solid crime thriller starring the brilliant and good-looking Carey Mulligan, who at 36 looks great. The protagonist is traumatized by a tragic event from the past and seeks revenge on all men who abuse women under the influence of alcohol. The concept is great and it's a bit of a shame that the film avoids violence, as in a few scenes it clearly called for it, but it seems to be aimed at academic awards, so maybe that's why. The film flows at a good pace, can be funny in certain scenes, occasionally creates a decent psycho atmosphere, and the ending is definitely unexpected, although not entirely satisfying. A decent film that captivates more with its story, actors, and atmosphere, and if it didn't shy away from brutality, it would be even better. Story****, Action>No, Humor***, Violence>No, Entertainment****, Music***, Visual****, Atmosphere****, Tension***. 7.5/10. (09/01/2021)