Promising Young Woman

MrStuffins · 29-03-2021 12:27am

Just watched this. I must admit, the trailer made it look like a preachy movie at first. Like an extreme feminist's version of one of those terrible Christian movies that Americans love so much.

What triggered me to watch it was a "debate" that had been going on in the lads Whats App group. You know when you're in After Hours and someone says "Well, a woman grabbed my ar*e once, so men get sexually assaulted too" and think that that's an excuse to ignore the fact that women have concerns about how the general public view female victims of rape and sexual assault? One of those conversations.

I'll be honest, I felt incredibly uncomfortable watching it. The "she's asking for it" comments, the attempted date-rapes, the attitudes towards drunk women, the attitudes towards alleged victims of sexual crimes, the victim blaming, the "well, if someone gets that drunk"......

The thing about this movie is that I went in with the expectation I mentioned above, but every 5 minutes I was hit with the realisation that I have heard all of these things in real life. I've seen people try to prey on drunk girls, I've heard the "well, if you get that drunk" stuff. I've heard the "well, she must have been asking for it" comments and this movie made me feel almost ill for a lot of the runtime. Those who watch this and deny that what the movie describes aren't real issues, or who would minimise them because of some weird anti-feminist rubbish are probably the ones being described in the movie.

This is an incredible movie, with an amazing central performance. Highly recommended!

Ash.J.Williams · 29-03-2021 8:56am

i really enjoyed and i had such little faith in mankind i thought it would be slated but good to see all the positive reviews.

Homelander · 29-03-2021 1:53pm

cloudatlas wrote: »

I watched it last night. Sad to read the initial comments on this thread expressing the 'not metoo' comments, as this is kind of what the film is addressing, you are supposed to feel uncomfortable watching it as there are kernels of truth there but I found those comments ironic, rushing in to censor and try to colour the perceptions of others about a film which they haven't watched. Very sad indeed.

People made comments based on a trailer, in fact I later posted in this thread (on the next page in fact) to say I was completely wrong and it's an astoundingly accomplished film.

"Rushing in to censor and try to colour the perceptions of others about a film which they haven't watched. Very sad indeed."

You mean, people having an opinion based on a two minute trailer? In my case it was a simple observation that was proved wrong, again, admitted on the very next page having watched the movie.

You seem to want to apply the knowledge gained from watching the film to observations made long before the film was even released.

In fact, what you're actually saying is people shouldn't be allowed to have an opinion on a film a trailer. Does that apply to just this film given the subject matter?

Looks terrible. Looks great. Looks like a cash grab. Looks derivative. Looks very exploitative. Looks whatever. Things people say in reaction to all kinds of trailers, every minute of every day.

No-one can actually know their own truth until the final product is watched, but they absolutely are allowed to have an opinion on information, teasers or trailers they've seen up to that point.

Afterwards they can assess if they were right or wrong, or argue the point with others.

The big problem here is you're contrasting an opinion having watched the film, to comments made by people who had only seen a brief trailer long before the film was available - that is really zero representation of the quality of the finished product.

cloudatlas · 29-03-2021 3:34pm

Homelander wrote: »

People made comments based on a trailer, in fact I later posted in this thread (on the next page in fact) to say I was completely wrong and it's an astoundingly accomplished film.

"Rushing in to censor and try to colour the perceptions of others about a film which they haven't watched. Very sad indeed."

You mean, people having an opinion based on a two minute trailer? In my case it was a simple observation that was proved wrong, again, admitted on the very next page having watched the movie.

You seem to want to apply the knowledge gained from watching the film to observations made long before the film was even released.

In fact, what you're actually saying is people shouldn't be allowed to have an opinion on a film a trailer. Does that apply to just this film given the subject matter?

Looks terrible. Looks great. Looks like a cash grab. Looks derivative. Looks very exploitative. Looks whatever. Things people say in reaction to all kinds of trailers, every minute of every day.

No-one can actually know their own truth until the final product is watched, but they absolutely are allowed to have an opinion on information, teasers or trailers they've seen up to that point.

Afterwards they can assess if they were right or wrong, or argue the point with others.

The big problem here is you're contrasting an opinion having watched the film, to comments made by people who had only seen a brief trailer long before the film was available - that is really zero representation of the quality of the finished product.

It was your disparagement of the 'me too' movement that I was pointing to.

Homelander · 29-03-2021 3:48pm

Maybe that's what you read into it but I said the trailer looked like an exploitation #metoo film in that, it looked to be possibly exploiting the social climate, and didn't particularly look like a movie of substance. I was making zero political comment on #metoo.

As I said on the very next page having watched it I was completely wrong, but there are any amount of films made over the years that are ruthlessly exploitative of movements, themes and concepts across all walks of life.

The core concept of Promising Young Woman is no different to dozens of high profile films over the years, but the execution and craft is what sets it apart from most others.

For every Promising Young Woman there's countless versions of I Spit on Your Grave or Baise Moi. And a trailer is rarely going to give an accurate depiction of what the final product will be, in the mean-time we can only speculate until proven right either way.

Ash.J.Williams · 29-03-2021 3:53pm

Homelander wrote: »

Maybe that's what you read into it but I said the trailer looked like an exploitation #metoo film in that, it looked to be possibly exploiting the social climate, and didn't particularly look like a movie of substance. I was making zero political comment on #metoo.

As I said on the very next page having watched it I was completely wrong, but there are any amount of films made over the years that are ruthlessly exploitative of movements, themes and concepts across all walks of life.

The core concept of Promising Young Woman is no different to dozens of high profile films over the years, but the execution and craft is what sets it apart from most others.

For every Promising Young Woman there's countless versions of I Spit on Your Grave or Baise Moi. And a trailer is rarely going to give an accurate depiction of what the final product will be, in the mean-time we can only speculate until proven right either way.

No it didn’t, but I understand totally if people were ready to assume that

cloudatlas · 29-03-2021 4:20pm

Homelander wrote: »

Maybe that's what you read into it but I said the trailer looked like an exploitation #metoo film in that, it looked to be possibly exploiting the social climate, and didn't particularly look like a movie of substance. I was making zero political comment on #metoo.

As I said on the very next page having watched it I was completely wrong, but there are any amount of films made over the years that are ruthlessly exploitative of movements, themes and concepts across all walks of life.

The core concept of Promising Young Woman is no different to dozens of high profile films over the years, but the execution and craft is what sets it apart from most others.

For every Promising Young Woman there's countless versions of I Spit on Your Grave or Baise Moi. And a trailer is rarely going to give an accurate depiction of what the final product will be, in the mean-time we can only speculate until proven right either way.

Okay fair enough. Yeah the writer said she wanted to make the film entertaining, for everybody and not to make it too didactic the purpose being to make people think about some of the issues in the film without being preached to. In that way it's very successful.

_Whimsical_ · 04-04-2021 3:47pm

cloudatlas wrote: »

Okay fair enough. Yeah the writer said she wanted to make the film entertaining, for everybody and not to make it too didactic the purpose being to make people think about some of the issues in the film without being preached to. In that way it's very successful.

I thought it was a huge success in this regard!

I loved the film, it made it's points so strongly but also very creatively. I felt it really packed a punch and months afterwards I'm still thinking about it. I struggled with the ending at first ,over time some elements now seem fitting but others still jar.

In response to questions of why she didn't go to police as any of us would do, I think the story acr dealt with that. It relied on repeated illustrations of why Mulligans character had no faith in authority to be the arbiter of justice. She saw a female college principal prepared to turn a blind eye to a gang rape, a legal system willing not only to defend a perpetrator but persecute a victim further, to blame them instead of her attacker. It made some sense that she felt justice was only safe in her hands.
I don't think she wanted revenge ultimately, she wanted justice, acknowledgement of the wrong done to her friend. She showed that in the scene with the lawyer. She didn't want to kill the rapist, she wanted to show him how it felt to be overpowered, violated and afraid, and to make him also bare the scars of what he did, as she did, the scars her friend died of. It was crazy but it wasn't blood lust exactly.

She could've shared the video on social media but maybe she felt that she was going to be putting the reputation of her friend out there to be savaged too.

The ending left me shaken. The murder scene was very disturbing but overall it made it's points too, one being that between the physicality of a man and a woman there's rarely a fair fight. In reality her quest for justice would've ended in a burning pile along with her body in that field and he'd have walked away.

I wasn't sure if the movie was stronger or weaker for having added the Holywood treatment to the last few minutes with the police riding in. I guess it wrapped the whole package in a more palatable upbeat bow however unrealitic.Without that it probably had no chance getting a large audience. For me that sacrificed some of the films stronger points about the lack of justice for female victims. In truth very often those who perpetrate these crimes, particularly the middle class ones from "good families" go on to powerful careers and leave these things behind as a sort of teen prank that got out of hand. Waitresses with a bone to pick do not get in their way.

Addle · 04-04-2021 4:08pm

Released on sky and now tv on the 16th, finally!

_Whimsical_ · 04-04-2021 4:10pm

homerun_homer wrote: »

Loved this film but as I mentioned in the recently watched thread, and others noting here, the ending will be divisive.
I was shocked as it unfolded and thought somehow she was about to fight back successfully. It was a shock for sure to see it unfold. A real gut punch. I'm glad they didn't go with the director's original ending where they cut to black after her body is burned.
I wasn't sure how I felt about it all and whether it was the right ending.
However I did remember the bit where she threw away her license plate into the bush, which I thought odd at the time, but now goes to show that in advance we were subtly shown that she knew going in that she may not get out.

I thought the opposite, I think she threw away the licence plate because she expected to get out and did not want to be recognised or have evidence that she had been there. If she'd really thought she might be murdered she'd have left it so someone might search for her near by.

bb1234567 · 04-04-2021 4:20pm

We weren't told subtly, we were told explicitly that she knew there was a risk of her death when she goes through with this seeing as she forwarded evidence to the solicitor in advance that would incriminate the men in case she didn't get to do it herself. All the last years of her life were focused on this revenge, she appeared to cared little about her own welfare by this point in her downward spiral or at least it certainly was of lesser priority than avenging Nna, death was a risk she was clearly more than willing to take.

_Whimsical_ · 04-04-2021 4:27pm

Another interesting element was the controversy surrounding a review in Variety where the main criticism of the film was that Carrie Mulligan was not hot enough to play the role, that it might have been more believable if she was a sexier actress.

Variety magazine’s first review of Promising Young Woman, a black comedy in which Mulligan plays Cassie, a woman who fools men into believing she is too drunk to give consent for sex, read: “Mulligan, a fine actress, seems a bit of an odd choice as this admittedly many-layered apparent femme fatale – Margot Robbie is a producer here, and one can (perhaps too easily) imagine the role might once have been intended for her.

It thoughtlessly missed the entire premise of the film but also hugely reinforced it's commentary on the treatment of women in society as sex playthings whose value lies in their ability to titillate,and not as rounded human beings.

Carrie answered it brilliantly thankfully.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/28/carey-mulligan-review-variety-promising-young-woman

_Whimsical_ · 04-04-2021 4:29pm

bb1234567 wrote: »

We weren't told subtly, we were told explicitly that she knew there was a risk of her death when she goes through with this seeing as she forwarded evidence to the solicitor in advance that would incriminate the men in case she didn't get to do it herself. All the last years of her life were focused on this revenge, she appeared to cared little about her own welfare by this point in her downward spiral or at least it certainly was of lesser priority than avenging Nna, death was a risk she was clearly more than willing to take.

Yup I agree, but I felt the moment she threw away the number plate illustrated for me that she actually had an expectation of coming out of it in one piece, felt it was at least 50/50. If she felt she'd be murdered she'd have left it so it might identify her whereabouts to anyone searching.

adrian522 · 05-04-2021 4:13pm

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Another interesting element was the controversy surrounding a review in Variety where the main criticism of the film was that Carrie Mulligan was not hot enough to play the role, that it might have been more believable if she was a sexier actress.

It thoughtlessly missed the entire premise of the film but also hugely reinforced it's commentary on the treatment of women in society as sex playthings whose value lies in their ability to titillate,and not as rounded human beings.

Carrie answered it brilliantly thankfully.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/28/carey-mulligan-review-variety-promising-young-woman

I thought she completely misread the review which didn't say anything about her not being hot enough...

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/28/carey-mulligan-dennis-harvey-variety-critic-sexism-accusations

homerun_homer · 06-04-2021 11:46am

bb1234567 wrote: »

We weren't told subtly, we were told explicitly that she knew there was a risk of her death when she goes through with this seeing as she forwarded evidence to the solicitor in advance that would incriminate the men in case she didn't get to do it herself. All the last years of her life were focused on this revenge, she appeared to cared little about her own welfare by this point in her downward spiral or at least it certainly was of lesser priority than avenging Nna, death was a risk she was clearly more than willing to take.

Just because something is explained after the fact doesn't mean something else earlier wasn't subtle. Let's imagine she didn't do it, then the ending would have felt extra tacked on, which it kind of was anyway when you look into the original intention by Emerald Fennell.

_Whimsical_ · 06-04-2021 4:29pm

[QUOTE=homerun_

homer;116803254]

Just because something is explained after the fact doesn't mean something else earlier wasn't subtle. Let's imagine she didn't do it, then the ending would have felt extra tacked on, which it kind of was anyway

when you look into the original intention by Emerald Fennell.

[/QUOTE]

What was the original intention?

homerun_homer · 06-04-2021 5:00pm

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

What was the original intention?

She wanted to cut to black when they burned her body and that be it. The studio asked her to update it and not end it so bleak, so she updated the script with the post-revenge bit afterwards.

bb1234567 · 06-04-2021 6:34pm

homerun_homer wrote: »

She wanted to cut to black when they burned her body and that be it. The studio asked her to update it and not end it so bleak, so she updated the script with the post-revenge bit afterwards.

I really would have hated that..would have been just..uncomfortable and felt cut short. Even though I agree the ending felt a bit tacked all the same, even a little bit corny, but at least it ended it on some note of positivity and made us feel confident in their protagonist's competence. Did the director say why it was that they wanted that original ending? What about it did she prefer to the alternative one which producers advocated for?

homerun_homer · 06-04-2021 9:02pm

bb1234567 wrote: »

I really would have hated that..would have been just..uncomfortable and felt cut short. Even though I agree the ending felt a bit tacked all the same, even a little bit corny, but at least it ended it on some note of positivity and made us feel confident in their protagonist's competence. Did the director say why it was that they wanted that original ending? What about it did she prefer to the alternative one which producers advocated for?

The first version of the script ended with Al and Joe burning Cassie’s body. In other words, bleak as hell! Fennell’s financiers balked, she said with a laugh: “They were, like, ‘Come on, we’re going to give you money to make this!’ But in my heart, I think that’s where it would have ended.”

Full article here.

_Whimsical_ · 07-04-2021 1:51pm

homerun_homer wrote: »

The first version of the script ended with Al and Joe burning Cassie’s body. In other words, bleak as hell! Fennell’s financiers balked, she said with a laugh: “They were, like, ‘Come on, we’re going to give you money to make this!’ But in my heart, I think that’s where it would have ended.”

Full article here.

I hate to say it but that's what would've happened in reality and while it would've been bleak as hell it would've more powerfully underlined the points the film went to pains to make.

The ending felt very much tacked on to appease the playmakers. The song and chirpy upbeatedness at the end that accompanied finding a young woman's body nearly had a resentful tone,like they were mocking their own ending.

cloudatlas · 07-04-2021 2:06pm

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

I hate to say it but that's what would've happened in reality and while it would've been bleak as hell it would've more powerfully underlined the points the film went to pains to make.

The ending felt very much tacked on to appease the playmakers. The song and chirpy upbeatedness at the end that accompanied finding a young woman's body nearly had a resentful tone,like they were mocking their own ending.

Yeah I feel if it had been world cinema that ending would have been fine but since it was Hollywood and they favour neat endings that's what we got. The ending reminded me of Cruel Intentions to be honest which wasn't a bad ending but done before. They should have left it the way Emerald intended.

SimonTemplar · 07-04-2021 7:03pm

I loved the movie especially the cinematography (the colours really pop) and Mulligan's performance.

Like many, I am conflicted about the ending.

I don't mind sending the package to Alfred Molina's character but the perfectly timed text messages coinciding with the arrival of the police and the three dots indicating they are being typed is a little too cute and implausible. I'd actually prefer if Molina arrived with the police and handed Ryan a letter from Cassie.

homerun_homer · 08-04-2021 10:43am

SimonTemplar wrote: »

I loved the movie especially the cinematography (the colours really pop) and Mulligan's performance.

Like many, I am conflicted about the ending.
I don't mind sending the package to Alfred Molina's character but the perfectly timed text messages coinciding with the arrival of the police and the three dots indicating they are being typed is a little too cute and implausible. I'd actually prefer if Molina arrived with the police and handed Ryan a letter from Cassie.

I initially thought that Molina was sending the texts from her phone, which I was ok with. The idea of them being scheduled is a bit too much.

errlloyd · 08-04-2021 10:54am

Huge hat tip to this thread. I really enjoyed the movie and I don't think it was going to cross my radar without this (despite oscar nods etc, harder for me to be into film without cinema).

Few thoughts.

1: I thought the choice to cast famous nice guy actors all round was great.
2: It was notable that all the songs in the (absolutely banging) soundtrack were women vocalists.
3: Carey Mulligan is 5 years older than Bo. I presume a conversation was had about whether to "de-age" her digitally in order to make them being the same age more believable. Then I reckon they decided "f*** that, the inverse happens in movies all the time".

On the ending.

I think they should have left it at the body burning. It was a massive punch in the gut, but that's the point. The men always do win. If they had left that ending I think people would be talking about it much more.

As it happened it was a very Hollywood let-off. I don't think it was out of character for her to plan for her death, and I certainly hoped she would - so maybe we could have had a long fade to black, a few top-line credits, and then a mid-credit scene where the tape shows up at the solicitor's office. But the ending felt too much like a victory and detracted from the impact. That said, the actual scene where he smoothers her hits like a bus.

There was one post-burning scene that added value. The detective not taking the search for her seriously. Particularly the scene where he clearly visits Bo Burnham (the man who should be the number 1 suspect) as a box-ticking excercise and completely lets him off the hook.

I somewhat compare it to the ending of the Dutch language film "The Vanishing" versus it's English Language remake!

There have been a lot of Hollywood films with either an explicitly feminist narrative or simply a woman-dominated cast of late. That's not a bad thing and I suspect they are still outnumbered by films that do the opposite. But many of them have suffered, particularly some of the all Women remakes and overly preachy political pieces. This film stands way way out from most of them for me. It does attack a trend that still needs fixed. It brutally attacks it. And while doing so puts women led art and artists to the front as well. But does both of those things without taking away from a movie that is standalone excellent.

kerplun k · 08-04-2021 10:55am

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Another interesting element was the controversy surrounding a review in Variety where the main criticism of the film was that Carrie Mulligan was not hot enough to play the role, that it might have been more believable if she was a sexier actress.

It thoughtlessly missed the entire premise of the film but also hugely reinforced it's commentary on the treatment of women in society as sex playthings whose value lies in their ability to titillate,and not as rounded human beings.

Carrie answered it brilliantly thankfully.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/28/carey-mulligan-review-variety-promising-young-woman

Looking forward to seeing this.
As I haven’t seen it yet, I may be missing some context, but jeez, saying Carrie Mulligan isn’t hot enough for a role is like saying Brad Pitt wasn’t hot enough for Thelma & Louise. Mulligan is an absolute ride.

adrian522 · 08-04-2021 11:05am

kerplun k wrote: »

Looking forward to seeing this.
As I haven’t seen it yet, I may be missing some context, but jeez, saying Carrie Mulligan isn’t hot enough for a role is like saying Brad Pitt wasn’t hot enough for Thelma & Louise. Mulligan is an absolute ride.

Except he didn't say anything about her not being hot enough.

JP Liz V1 · 12-04-2021 3:26am

I just realised Emerald Fennell is Patsy from Call the Midwife

errlloyd · 12-04-2021 8:40am

This won a Bafta for outstanding British film yesterday.

Nomadland won the main gong

2smiggy · 15-04-2021 3:58pm

https://twitter.com/guardianfilm/status/1382635447742996485?s=20

Mad_maxx · 21-04-2021 12:49pm

watched this last night , as blunt as a poke in the eye tribute to the " me too " movement

ideologically loaded to the max and not one character came out of the whole nasty mess with an ounce of dignity

horrible piece of cynical trash

2smiggy · 21-04-2021 1:02pm

Mad_maxx wrote: »

watched this last night , as blunt as a poke in the eye tribute to the " me too " movement

ideologically loaded to the max and not one character came out of the whole nasty mess with an ounce of dignity

horrible piece of cynical trash

hence the Guardian 5 star review !!

johnny_ultimate · 21-04-2021 2:40pm

Had a very mixed response to this one, alas.

First things first, though: Carey Mulligan is extraordinary in it. She just has an absolutely perfect grasp on what's happening, even when the rest of the film doesn't.

Alas, there are plenty of moments when the film gets awkwardly lost in what it's trying to do. There's absolutely a film out there that can be a cheeky topical satire, study of trauma and playful revenge film all at once. But the tone often feels wrong here, stumbling between different registers and moods without fully landing the jumps.

The last act is where it all kind of falls apart.

The film undermines its own points with an ending that delivers one last twist of the knife to unconvincing effect. When Cassandra gets her revenge from beyond the grave, it felt like a hollow victory. Two women are dead - the film bizarrely undercuts that tragedy by literally ending with a winky emoji. When Cassandra's killed, it's a shocking moment where it seems as if these men will once again avoid repercussions - that's a bold, provocative idea. But it resorts to a more clichéd revenge ending that feels lazy despite its odd setup.

It's a shame things don't come together, because there's lots to like. As said, Mulligan is astoundingly good here and deserving of all the accolades. Fennell is an obviously promising director, and the vibrant colour palette and magnificent costume work are a joy to behold. There's a lot of really good scenes, too:

the first Cassandra drops her act; the dance scene; the squirmy scene in the Dean's office.

It's a film I definitely admired for trying to speak bluntly about tricky subject matter - society's attitudes towards rape and consent will always be worthy of critique and examination. But PYW can't quite navigate the thorny maze it puts itself in - it addresses its subject matter head-on, but can't wrap that into a coherent narrative. A valiant effort that takes some big swings, but a rather unsatisfactory film in the end.

santana75 · 21-04-2021 6:10pm

Mad_maxx wrote: »

watched this last night , as blunt as a poke in the eye tribute to the " me too " movement

ideologically loaded to the max and not one character came out of the whole nasty mess with an ounce of dignity

horrible piece of cynical trash

I'd agree with that. There's something contrived and forced about the whole thing. I read the variety review in question and that guy said nothing wrong whatsoever. I feel carey mulligan was just offended he spoke the truth.

Ash.J.Williams · 21-04-2021 6:27pm

I knew this would happen

It’s a good movie , it’s not the necronomicon of woke

MrStuffins · 21-04-2021 9:00pm

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

I knew this would happen

It’s a good movie , it’s not the necronomicon of woke

I expected the movie to be a "Me Too" frying pan to the face.

It really isn't. I likelihood of someone who says it is being the type of person that the movie describes is quite high I'd imagine.

ShagNastii · 21-04-2021 10:51pm

MrStuffins wrote: »

I expected the movie to be a "Me Too" frying pan to the face.

It really isn't. I likelihood of someone who says it is being the type of person that the movie describes is quite high I'd imagine.

100%. I went in with eyes set to roll. The first act with the guys overtly debating in the bar about who takes her home was a bit OTT. Then your man had an American flag painting in his sitting room. I was dreading the worst.

After that the movies got serious substance. Was really smart and compelling. Tackled the “me too” thing in a way that would make the penny drop. The story grabbed me.

Mulligan was rock solid and such a joy to watch. Would be deserving of an Oscar if she lands it.

The DayDream · 21-04-2021 10:55pm

Glad to hear what is beong said above, I think Carey Mulligan is amazing, my favorite actress by far working today but I really was disappointed thinking this film was gonna be as was suggested 'a me too frying pan to the face' which i don't really have interest in any more than i need a film telling me paedophilia is bad

flasher0030 · 22-04-2021 8:55am

The DayDream wrote: »

Glad to hear what is beong said above, I think Carey Mulligan is amazing, my favorite actress by far working today but I really was disappointed thinking this film was gonna be as was suggested 'a me too frying pan to the face' which i don't really have interest in any more than i need a film telling me paedophilia is bad

Why don't you watch it?

johnny_ultimate · 22-04-2021 9:04am

I didn't particuarly like the film, but people should still watch it and make up their own mind - it's definitely an interesting watch. Any suggestion it is some sort of 'MeToo propaganda' is utter nonsense as far as I'm concerned.

Outkast_IRE · 22-04-2021 9:13am

Carey Mulligan, great performance.

As for the film, enjoyable if you dont take it too seriously. But i think its just a bit too in your face . Not one person in the entire movie comes out looking good in it
, its all a bit cliched and overall isnt particularly strong in its development or even the ending.

Its a 7/10 for me . A movie which is enjoyable if you can disconnect it from the gender politics its average. ( i would say if a movie was made which universally showed every single female in it to be a villian it would get torrents of abuse)

Kingp35 · 22-04-2021 1:03pm

I think the film is absolutely brilliant up to the point where

they burned her body

. It should have ended there. The remainder of the film ruined what came before with a ludicrous ending, especially the

scheduled texts

which stretched all credibility.

A shame as it really would have hit home if Fennell was allowed to use the ending she wanted to use.

Mad_maxx · 22-04-2021 1:58pm

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I didn't particuarly like the film, but people should still watch it and make up their own mind - it's definitely an interesting watch. Any suggestion it is some sort of 'MeToo propaganda' is utter nonsense as far as I'm concerned.

So what was the going to clubs and pretending to be drunk thing about?

The movie was pure revenge feminism

Sad Professor · 22-04-2021 2:48pm

It's definitely a feminist film but I wouldn't consider it MeToo propaganda. However I do think MeToo was very much on the minds of the people involved in making it - to it's detriment! Mulligan is great but I also think she was miscast. I think the part required more of a blank slate in the lead role. Mulligan is like Brad Pitt in Troy - adding complexity to a character who isn't and shouldn't be complex.

While I don't necessarily agree that it should have ended with

her body being burned

, I do think the ending doesn't work.

Overall I liked the premise but not the execution.

errlloyd · 22-04-2021 3:03pm

Mad_maxx wrote: »

So what was the going to clubs and pretending to be drunk thing about?

The movie was pure revenge feminism

That could just be a funny plot device. Like it is in pretty much every other revenge flick ever made. You don't have to read into it politically. It doesn't force you to.

I've no problem with an otherwise entertaining film also having a happy side effect of depicting the realities of date rape - a crime often ignored.

MrStuffins · 22-04-2021 3:15pm

Mad_maxx wrote: »

So what was the going to clubs and pretending to be drunk thing about?

If you've seen this movie and you still don't understand this, if you don't recognise the scenarios.......... don't recognise the characters in the movie...... don't recognise the attitudes in the movie..... don't recognise the comments made in the movie..... then there's something up.

You can call it "revenge feminism" all you want. But you can only do so if you are also denying that any of the themes in the movie are accurate.

If not, but you are taking all of this into account and still dismissing this as "revenge feminism" then the issue is not the movie, it is you. Yo are the type of person that the movie is describing and are making the movie's point on it's behalf.

Addle · 22-04-2021 5:22pm

I think what makes Carey Mulligan brilliant is her voice. She has a great voice. Very easy to pay attention to.

I liked the film. I thought the casting made it.

Mad_maxx · 22-04-2021 5:44pm

MrStuffins wrote: »

If you've seen this movie and you still don't understand this, if you don't recognise the scenarios.......... don't recognise the characters in the movie...... don't recognise the attitudes in the movie..... don't recognise the comments made in the movie..... then there's something up.

You can call it "revenge feminism" all you want. But you can only do so if you are also denying that any of the themes in the movie are accurate.

If not, but you are taking all of this into account and still dismissing this as "revenge feminism" then the issue is not the movie, it is you. Yo are the type of person that the movie is describing and are making the movie's point on it's behalf.

Yawn

Outkast_IRE · 22-04-2021 8:00pm

MrStuffins wrote: »

If you've seen this movie and you still don't understand this, if you don't recognise the scenarios.......... don't recognise the characters in the movie...... don't recognise the attitudes in the movie..... don't recognise the comments made in the movie..... then there's something up.

You can call it "revenge feminism" all you want. But you can only do so if you are also denying that any of the themes in the movie are accurate.

If not, but you are taking all of this into account and still dismissing this as "revenge feminism" then the issue is not the movie, it is you. Yo are the type of person that the movie is describing and are making the movie's point on it's behalf.

You are making some mighty leaps here on someone you dont know, based on a few comments on a movie review. Debate the post , taking a shot at the poster is the first step to losing any debate.

Opinions are allowed that differ from your own viewpoint its the basis of healthy debate.

I think feminism revenge fantasy is a broadly accurate description of the movie. Mostly because of the way the material has been handled and every single male character is shown as a rapist , potential rapist or enabler, which is ridiculous bordering on the fantastical.

As i said earlier if a movie was made in the morning which showed every single female character in its entire runtime in such a bad light certain movements would be up in arms.

cloudatlas · 22-04-2021 10:27pm

Mad_maxx wrote: »

So what was the going to clubs and pretending to be drunk thing about?

The movie was pure revenge feminism

Are you making up new genres?

"It's Mercy, Compassion And Forgiveness I Lack. Not Rationality!" - Kill Bill

MrStuffins · 22-04-2021 11:05pm

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

You are making some mighty leaps here on someone you dont know.....

Oh yeah?

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Yawn

I know enough

Promising Young Woman

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