Screenplay Breakdown: Promising Young Woman

In honor of this year’s Academy Awards taking place a week from now, we’re reviewing last year’s Best Original Screenplay winner: the brilliant revenge thriller Promising Young Woman (2020) written and directed by Emerald Fennell. This film served as a mirror to society and made viewers question if they are as “good” as they thought themselves to be.

While I was careful not to spoil too much in this piece, there are some revealing details in here that may take away from a first-time viewing experience. With that in mind, I recommend you watch the film before reading past this point! Let’s get into it:

Promising Young Woman (2020)

written & directed by Emerald Fennell

A Brief Synopsis:

Former medical student, Cassandra Thomas (played by Carey Mulligan), spends her days working in a coffee shop and her nights at bars and clubs. She pretends to be drunk, luring in men who prey on inebriated women. When these men bring her home and attempt to assault her, she confronts them by revealing her sober state. Ryan (played by Bo Burnham), an old classmate, recognizes her at the coffee shop and expresses an interest in dating her. As she starts to warm up to him, she learns he is still friends with several of their former classmates. One of which is the man who assaulted her best friend, Nina— now engaged and living a perfectly unscathed life. This prompts Cassie to set out for revenge on every person who wronged Nina.

Getting it Made:

The Hollywood Reporter article, Making of ‘Promising Young Woman’: How Emerald Fennell Tackled Unbridled Femininity in a Dark Comedy, details how the film came to be. The first idea that came to Emerald Fennell was the early scene where Cassie sits up and asks, “What are you doing?” Fennell started pitching the film in 2017, but many people were nervous about the story’s way of discussing the issue of sexual assault with elements of comedy. Margot Robbie’s production company LuckyChap had faith in the pitch and took it on. Fennell wrote the script in eight months, getting inspired by the music of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. FilmNation and Focus Features eventually got involved as well. 

Financing was only the first hurdle. Fennell knew it was essential for the casting of the film to be surprising. Fortunately, Carey Mulligan was looking to move away from period dramas and saw this challenging role as a chance to act out of her comfort zone. When it came to the men, Fennell purposefully cast actors who are well known for playing likeable characters. This made the audience feel comfortable with their presence, only for our preconceived ideas of them to play into our eventual shock at their actions. This helped show that even those who we trust can be just as capable of contributing to horrible crimes.

Element Breakdown:

Conflict/Goal:

The story is set into motion when Cassie learns the man who assaulted Nina is now engaged and living a seemingly perfect life, making her go down a social media rabbit hole. She is filled with anger over those who have wronged Nina who were able to move on with their lives without any consequences. This includes an old friend who didn’t believe Nina, the dean of the school who didn’t expel the assailant and the lawyer who bullied her into dropping the case. Cassie’s goal is to make them truly understand and pay for the error of their ways. 

Pacing:

While we do not initially have all of the information about Cassie’s best friend, Nina, we are given enough context from Cassie to infer what happened. The pacing allows the story to build as the past of Nina is revealed in increments. With every person Cassie goes after, the more we learn about the assault and aftermath. We get the sense she is working her way up to the most significant confrontation. As Cassie starts to lose steam, she is thrown for a loop. She learns there is a video of the assault. Her motivation is then recharged, and she has nothing holding her back.

Characters’ Voices:

Cassie is extremely clever, and it comes through in the way she talks. Each word she says is intentional. She only has to say so much before her targets reveal their true colors. While she is filled with anger, she maintains a consistently restrained demeanor when she confronts people. This creates an uneasiness in them, as they realize she is capable of anything. They bumble through excuses, trying to justify their harmful mistakes. 

When Ryan comes into the story, he seems slightly different from the other men we’ve seen so far. Ryan is charming and witty. Enough so to allow Cassie to let her guard down. He is the “nice guy,” a trope that has been seen over and over in movies in a positive light. He makes little remarks that feel harmless but contribute to a bigger issue among the “nice guy” trope. The line “forgive me if I’m confused but, you won’t kiss me, you’ll barely touch me, but I find you going home with some random creep in a fedora,” represents the entitlement of this type of person. They believe just because they are nice, they deserve the affection of their crush. Once he is confronted for his own compliant actions, this niceness diminishes rapidly.

Action descriptions:

Cassie’s actions serve as an extension of who she is as a character. The first moment we are introduced to her, her drunken state is described in great detail. A group of guys spot her and are intrigued. While her body language is what makes them think she is vulnerable, it is actually her tool in luring them in. One of the guys takes her to his place and moves her to his bed. The moment he crosses the boundary, she sits up and confronts him. The action line “She is stone, cold sober” reveals Cassie’s true intentions and capabilities.  The moments when she abruptly shifts her demeanor, people are startled because they realize she is completely in control of the situation.

Favorite Lines:

“You might be surprised to hear that gentlemen are sometimes the worst.” – Cassandra Thomas

“No use hiding from the piper. He has to be paid.” – Jordan Green

A page-to-screen scene comparison:

In this scene, Cassie confronts the lawyer who represented Nina’s assailant and scared her into dropping the case.