Promising Young Woman (2020) - Emerald Fennel

​Explicit in its messaging yet it lacks the bite to be deeply effective, showing an unwillingness to embrace its transgressive potential. Opting instead for quirky, pop formal sensibilities that undermines the film's thematic weight, Promising Young Woman is a well-intentioned but ultimately disappointing critique of patriarchal society. Employs an approach that devalues the importance of its thematic message, at worst feeling almost exploitative about the systemic nature of the issues at large. Promising Young Woman's temperament is too playful for the subject matter, feeling ephemeral in its deconstruction of patriarchy instead of recognizing its persistence that transcends the current moment. Promising Young Woman doesn't deploy discursive strategies around the subjugation of femininity that has been normalized in society. It merely repackages zeitgeist talking points, ultimately feeling like a missed opportunity - stuck between a space largely devoid of any intellectual commentary and one in which its artistic deployment feels off.