Focus Features’ femme thriller Promising Young Woman, which made its world premiere at Sundance back in January, has returned to the theatrical release calendar for a Christmas Day release. The movie was originally set to open on April 17 before the pandemic pushed all titles.
Out of the gate, the film notched a high Rotten Tomatoes score, which currently sits at 92% certified fresh.
Mulligan plays Cassie, barista and ex medical student by day, but a woman who draws men in at night, and not with the best intentions. A former classmate, Ryan (Bo Burnham) re-enters her life and so does the possibility of healing—until new details about the death of her best friend infuriate Cassie and inspire her most potent confrontation yet.
The movie was directed and written by Emerald Fennell. Laverne Cox, Connie Britton, Clancy Brown, Alison Brie, Jennifer Coolidge, Molly Shannon and Christopher Mintz-Plasse also star.
“I really like to play characters who aren’t easy to play on the surface, or take a bit of figuring out, or female characters that aren’t immediately likable or tick all the boxes,” Mulligan told us at Deadline’s Hyundai Sundance studio about what drew her to the role.
Fennell drew from her college days in crafting the story, “All the stuff that went on there, stuff that was completely accepted as normal.” The hook? If someone went to a nightclub pretending to be drunk, only to reveal themselves later in the night that they’re not. Would the other person feel afraid or exposed by that? “Then we do all know there is something wrong with it,” says Fennell.
Here’s the pic’s new trailer: