Promising Young Woman tries its best to appear like a rom-com but as the story progresses, each scene reveals the film for what it truly is—a twisted thriller with an ending that is as disturbing as reality. Spoilers ahead!
Set in contemporary times, the film Promising Young Woman shows Cassie Thomas (played by Carey Mulligan) working at a café by day and guises as a helpless girl by night to lure dangerous men to expose them and avenge her friend Nina—who committed suicide after suffering abuse and being dismissed by their school administration. Later in the film, Cassie learns that Al Monroe (played by Chris Lowell), one of the perpetrators, is getting married. This urges her to devise a new plan to take the ultimate revenge.
The trailer suggests that Cassie is out to kill unsuspecting "nice guys". It's easy to deem the protagonist as a psychopath as some would assume, but do not let this deceive you for there is quite a lot to unpack in this compelling film. Let's start with the beginning: