To Bring Back Their Loved Ones, a Woman and Dragon Unite

Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran) in
"Raya and the Last Dragon"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

In terms of computer animation, it seems as though Walt Disney Animation Studios has caught up with the vividness and originality of Pixar.  Between movies like “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Frozen,” “Big Hero 6,” “Zootopia,” and “Moana,” we’ve seen how Disney has developed another branch for their impressive animation output to provide audiences with memorable animated movies outside Pixar.

We now have their next animated adventure with directors Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada’s film, “Raya and the Last Dragon.”  Although it doesn’t quite reach the heights of some of Walt Disney Animation Studio’s previous films, it still manages to be a heartfelt and beautifully animated tale.

Centuries ago, the dragons of Kumandra placed their power in an orb that wards off evil spirits known as the Druun.  After a dispute over the orb, the people of Kumandra divide into five tribes along a river that resembles a dragon: Fang, Heart, Spine, Talon, and Tail.  Five hundred years later, Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), a young woman from the Heart tribe, escapes an attack on her home from the Druun and sets out to find the only surviving dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina).  Raya and Sisu then go on a journey to find the missing orb pieces amongst the other tribes and use the power to defeat the Druun once and for all.

Tran delivers an emotional vocal performance as the film’s protagonist, evoking a strength that helps you get caught up in Raya’s determination to reach success in her quest.  As Raya must overcome her flaws, Tran’s investment in her character helps to create an engaging heroine who has a lot to lose, but does everything that she can to defeat the all encompassing evil.

Awkwafina brings her comedic talents to the role of the fast-talking, humorous Sisu.  She continues the tradition of Disney’s witty sidekicks to create a character who’s as memorable as many of those sidekicks who’ve come before, giving the audience a lot of entertaining back-and-forth between her and Raya that keeps their friendship entertaining.  However, just like Raya, Sisu has much to fight for, and Awkwafina’s ability to transition to the dramatic side of Sisu when needed allows us to feel for her character as she ponders her own losses and tries to recover what she’s been living without.

Although there are some the supporting characters who get a tad annoying, there are a few who stand out, such as Daniel Dae Kim, who voices Chief Benja, the wise and peaceful leader of Kumandra’s Heart Land and Raya’s father; Gemma Chan, who voices Namaari, a warrior princess from the Fang Land and Raya’s conflicted nemesis; and Sandra Oh, who voices Virana, leader of the Fang Land and Namaari’s calm and calculated mother.

The screenplay by Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim carries several of the beats as other Disney animated movies and have the same messages of believe-in-yourself and see-the-goodness-in-others that we’ve seen many times before, but those messages still have some freshness to them because of the new environments in which the movie takes place.  The story’s main strength lies in how it establishes the history of Kumandra and the impact that it has on the present events of the movie. The first 20 minutes of the film are dedicated toward the cause of the main conflict between the tribes, which is then followed by a sequence that shows the experiences of a younger Raya as they propel her to go on her journey.  This set of events invites us into Raya’s quest as we get an idea of what she will be up against.

Hall and Estrada do well in acquainting us with the environment of the movie.  Just like the many other worlds that Walt Disney Animation Studios has brought to life over the years in their computer-animated films, such as Arendelle in “Frozen,” San Fransokyo in “Big Hero 6,” the titular metropolis of Zootopia, and others, the world within “Raya and the Last Dragon” is gorgeously realized as we venture through the five tribal lands of Kumandra and the regions in between.  We’re given a full sense of who and what resides within this world, such as the desert wasteland of Tail, the snow-covered Spine, and the regality of Fang, introducing us to fascinating settings that are rendered with terrific details.

The directing duo also gives us some wonderful action, particularly the fight sequences between Raya and Namaari, and the characters’ fast and complex movements that they exhibit as they engage in combat help maintain the thrills during these segments.

“Raya and the Last Dragon” may be a little less than some of Walt Disney Animation Studio’s other computer-animated movies from the last few years, but there’s still enough fire in it to entertain and move you.

Grade: B+

Having Lost Everything, a Woman Finds a New Life on the Road

Frances McDormand in "Nomadland"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Over the last few years, Chloé Zhao has become a filmmaker who champions the exploration of people and regions in the American Midwest.  Her 2015 debut feature, “Songs My Brothers Taught Me,” focused on a Native American brother and sister living on a reservation in South Dakota, and her 2017 film, “The Rider,” took her back to South Dakota and told the story of a Native American rodeo star on the rise.  In these films, Zhao showed the tremendous detail in both the places themselves and the citizens who inhabit those communities, carrying us into the daily lives of the characters and offering a richness of authenticity.

Zhao goes back to the Midwest for her new film, “Nomadland,” where she finds another story to tell in which she takes us on the road.  Here, she not only has us marvel at the beauty and freedom to roam that America’s vast landscapes have to offer, but to invite us into a lifestyle that’s rarely seen on film, all in a narrative that’s based on a stunning true story.

In 2011, Fern (Frances McDormand) loses her job at the US Gypsum plant in Empire, Nevada, where she worked with her husband, who has since passed away.  Without anything to keep her back, she decides to travel through the Midwest in her van and start life anew as a nomad.

McDormand provides a deep, meditative performance of someone who’s trying to make it on her own in the wide-open terrain of the country.  While McDormand shows the sense of freedom that her character experiences, there’s also the melancholiness of losing what she has loved.  McDormand exhibits someone who’s both in the moment, but carries the beloved memories of the life that she had before.  She presents her character’s bravery of restarting her life out in the country, meeting new people, embracing new landscapes, and facing some unforgiving elements as she discovers a part of herself that she never knew was there.

Besides McDormand, the only other established actor in the cast is David Strathairn, who portrays David, one of the nomads whom Fern befriends.  Similar to Zhao’s previous two films, she uses a cast that’s comprised mostly of nonprofessional actors.  This use of non-professional actors brings to life the reality of the situations that she depicts.  In this film, she uses real-life nomads Linda May, Swankie, and Bob Wells, who all help Fern get the hang of their customs.  There’s a genuineness to their performances as they bring their van-dwelling experiences on screen, and they’re each given a chance to provide some depth to their characters as they explain to Fern what the nomadic lifestyle means to them.

The screenplay by Zhao, which is based on Jessica Bruder’s 2017 book, “Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century,” doesn’t use a lot of set-up into Fern’s time transitioning into a van dweller, which isn’t bad thing.  Instead, we meet her just as she’s ready to start traveling the roads, which allows for her journey to begin unfolding right away.  As Fern ventures from place to place, we’re offered a life-affirming view into the nomads who embrace a lifestyle that many would find difficult to pursue, but we see how great of a sense of community that they have and the abundance of care that they display for their fellow nomads.  This is a story about the nomads every bit as much as it is about Fern, and in between us becoming familiar with the lives of the nomads, we’re given insight into Fern’s life and are provided with details little by little that give us an idea of who she was before the events of the movie.

The cinematography by Joshua James Richards, who collaborated with Zhao on her other two films, once again captures the splendor or the Midwest.  The expansiveness of the surroundings is something that can fill Fern’s heart, and the way in which he absorbs us in the great outdoors helps create something that’s emotional, spiritual, and liberating.  A memorable sequence is a tracking shot of Fern walking through her first nomad camp as the sun sets in the background, creating a gorgeous dusk as we’re introduced deeper into the world of the nomads.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the movie is how a foreign director is able to show America with such lucidity.  Zhao, who was born in China, sees America with as clear of a view as she exemplified in her previous two films.  Just like “Songs My Brothers Taught Me” and “The Rider,” “Nomadland” is another contemplative story that provides the viewer with the opportunity for an eye-opening and emotional examination of the lives that Zhao follows through her cinematic, almost-documentarian eye.  She provides a tone that’s both elegiac in the life that Fern once lived, and celebratory in the new life that she builds.

Like all great road movies, “Nomadland” shows you that once you’ve traveled down one road, there are plenty of others on which to venture and reinvent yourself.

Grade: A

In Arkansas, an Immigrant Family Finds a Home and Follows a Dream

Han Ye-ri and Steven Yeun in "Minari"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

The pursuit of the American dream has been one of the most significant narratives depicted in film.  Given the many different ways in which people have strived to achieve that dream, there are countless ways how you can approach this type of story.  One such way is through the eyes of immigrants.  This is done most recently with writer-director Lee Isaac Chung’s stunning and beautiful drama, “Minari,” a semi-autobiographical narrative that’s both inspiring and heartwarming.

The story follows a Korean immigrant family, including Jacob (Steven Yeun), his wife Monica (Han Ye-ri), their daughter Anne (Noel Kate Cho), and their son David (Alan Kim) as they start a new life in Arkansas in the 1980s.  Jacob soon decides to provide for his family by maintaining a farm, which will bring both rewards and hardships.

Yeun delivers powerful work as a father who does whatever he can to support his family.  He has his character show a determination that makes you feel the sweat that runs down his forehead as he works, while also showing a stoic persona that reinforces how he wishes to uphold a stern upbringing for his children to make sure that they stay on the right path.  Yeun shows an individual who presents a boundless love for his family, but also sometimes exhibits how his interest in his dreams might overshadow his family’s needs.  It’s these dueling aspects that make his character as intriguing as he is, making us wonder if the obsessiveness of his dream might be his downfall.

Ye-ri provides equally impactful work as Jacob’s wife.  She gives her character a strong feeling of uncertainty as she questions her husband’s choice to relocate their family.  While Jacob remains enthusiastic, Monica is much less so, and we begin to share her feeling of unease as she not only worries about their financial and living situations, but also how she and her family will be accepted into the community.  As Jacob tends to his garden, Ye-ri shows her character’s commitment to being a working mother while also taking care of her children, often trying to pick up the slack on the home front when Jacob isn’t there.  We see the stress that Monica feels, but Ye-ri is able balance that with the love that comes from the stress, showing a parent who knows what she has to do to care for her family.

Youn Yuh-jung is joyful and very funny as Monica’s mother, who comes to live them not long after they move in.  Yuh-jung is the source of many of the film’s laughs, depicting a grandmother who does what she can to brighten everyone’s day.  Yuh-jung exhibits a grandparent who shows unconditional love for her family, seeming like it’s impossible to upset her.  Whenever she’s onscreen, we feel the pressures of everyday life depicted in the movie melt away as we enjoy a reprieve to celebrate the elation that she brings.

Kim and Cho prove to be naturals as they portray their young characters who must navigate their unfamiliar surroundings and deal with the occasional heated fights between their parents.  In their new environment, they have to grow up a little quickly, with Anne trying to keep an eye on her younger brother, and David exhibiting a curiosity in his father’s work as he joins him from time to time on the farm.  These are performances that encapsulate what it’s like to be young and having to process a new way of life, while also having to place a lot of trust in your parents as they try to make everything work out. 

Chung’s screenplay is an enriching view into the immigrant experience, showing the family’s Korean culture, while also presenting a scenario that speaks to all families who’ve strived for a better life in America, be they immigrants or natural-born citizens.  Chung’s narrative gives plenty of focus to all of the characters, allowing us to see how each of them transitions into their new home.  This is a fully realized view of how this family interacts with an unfamiliar community, whether it be attending a new church, working at a new job, or making new friends, and such a multi-faceted story allows us to get to know the family in great detail.

There’s a deep compassion to how Chung depicts this family and their environment, particularly in the cinematography from Lachlan Milne, who presents several scenes in the sunlit fields, as well as the peacefulness of a nearby forest.  The way in which Milne frames the family against the expansiveness and beauty of these settings helps you to understand how Jacob and the others immerse themselves into their new home and surrounding nature, having us share that sense of discovery with them.  Just as gorgeous as the camerawork is the music from Emile Mosseri, who provided gorgeous work for 2019’s “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” another movie about finding oneself in America.   

Through its depiction of intergenerational bonds and how they remain strong through moments of uncertainty and triumph, “Minari” isn’t just a story about one family, but a story of many families.

Grade: A

A Woman Faces Emptiness After an Unspeakable Loss

Vanessa Kirby and Ellen Burstyn in 
"Pieces of a Woman"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

There have been countless movies that focus on motherhood, shedding light on the hardships and rewards that come with the undertaking of raising a child.  Even more heartbreaking are the stories that deal with parents suffering through the loss of a child, showing the intense grief that they feel in losing someone so young and so soon.  That’s what director Kornél Mundruczó does with the harrowing drama, “Pieces of a Woman,” a movie that shows how the power of motherhood never leaves, even after their child is gone.

Martha Weiss (Vanessa Kirby) and her partner, Sean (Shia LaBeouf), are preparing for the arrival of their first baby.  When the infant dies after complications with the home birth, Martha will face the effects of this unfathomable tragedy and deal with the emotional distance that grows between her, Sean, and her family.

Kirby offers a devastating performance as a woman trying to navigate her life after her loss, as well as showing the strength that’s needed for bringing someone into the world.  For the latter, Kirby does everything that she can to make you feel the physical strenuousness that her character experiences as she prepares to give birth, with heavy breathing and exclamations of pain as she tries to deliver her baby.  Afterwards, her acting is required to be more on the subdued side, but is just as soul-stirring.  Here, the expressiveness of her eyes and face as she seems to just drift through her life in the weeks after giving birth shows Martha’s numbness, someone who looks as though she might never be happy again.  Then, when it comes time for Martha to testify at the trial of her midwife, Kirby shows the difficulty that it takes her character to recount what she went through on that tragic night, but leaves you hoping that she’ll find some sort of closure.

LaBeouf is terrific as Sean, a character who’s trying to deal with the loss of his child and maintain a connection to Martha, who keeps growing distant.  While Martha always seems closed off, LaBeouf presents Sean as someone who has more of an outward and volatile personality when it comes to expressing his grief.  This leaves us tense as we wait to see how he will move forward during this ordeal, and LaBeouf shows a vivid portrait of how someone can express their grief differently from someone else, despite sharing the same tragedy with that person.

Ellen Burstyn provides beautiful work as Martha’s mother.  She presents a parent who wants the best for her daughter and to see her receive justice, often butting heads with Martha as they disagree on how to proceed.  Burstyn’s work is effectively understated for most of the movie, but she’s given a searing monologue near the final third of the movie when she explains why she wants her daughter to attend the midwife’s trial.  This scene hits as hard as anything else in the movie and is a moment when we understand her character’s well-meaning intrusiveness, showing a mother who views this situation through her own tragic past.

The screenplay by Kata Wéber is at its strongest in the first half hour.  But, despite the rest of the movie not quite reaching the heavy poignancy of that part of the movie, it still manages to make you feel the magnitude of the aftermath and what the characters are experiencing.  Following the birthing sequence, the movie is an exploration of Martha’s grief and how she processes the world around her in the days that seem to blur together.  This portion of the narrative has Martha going through several different settings, be it something as saddening as looking for a headstone, or a pastime like jogging or spending time at a dance club.  However, no matter what Martha does in her day-to-day life, there’s always the sense of emotional trauma that permeates her life, and Wéber’s narrative provides us with a vivid view of what Marth’s experiencing and shows how difficult it is to live through the unbearable anguish of losing her baby.

The cinematography Benjamin Loeb is the film’s most noteworthy technical aspect, and that’s because of a birthing sequence that’s shot and edited to look like a 20-minute long take that takes place within the first half hour of the movie.  As we experience this scene in real time, it has an emotionally exhausting effect on the viewer, navigating us through the physically draining task of giving birth, and then the heart-wrenching realization of what has happened.

Mundruczó never fails to lose the sense of loss that diffuses through the film.  Every scene after the opening half hour provides us with the feeling of Martha’s loss and emptiness that never seems like it will go away.  The atmosphere of devastation that Mundruczó builds brings us right into Martha’s state of mind as we take this journey with her and try to remain hopeful that she will find a way to emerge from the wreckage of this unforeseen tragedy.

As we go through Martha’s emotional odyssey, “Pieces of a Woman” solidifies itself as a movie that shows how even someone at their most broken can be made whole again.

Grade: A- 

On a Road Trip, Two Men Consider Their Future

Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth in "Supernova"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Before writer-director Harry Macqueen’s second feature “Supernova,” his only other movie was “Hinterland.”  They’re both road movies about two people connecting, but what’s different between them is how the latter deals with young adults traveling the roads, while “Supernova” deals with older adults on the road.  He focuses on how, no matter what your age, there’s always an invigorating power of being out on the road and discovering things about yourself.

Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci) have been partners for 20 years.  As they travel through the English countryside to reunite with family and friends, they must also face the prospect of Tusker’s early onset dementia and the limited time that they have left with each other.

Firth provides a heartbreaking performance as someone who wants to hold onto whatever time he has left with his partner.  He does fine work in letting the viewer know the emotional toll that he has experienced in taking care of his partner, but presents his character as someone who will still do whatever he can to make sure that he makes life as easy as possible for Tusker.  In doing so, we see someone who wants to provide his partner with the best quality of life, but has trouble facing the inevitably that his partner’s life is nearing its end.  Firth establishes that Tusker is Sam’s whole world, and to see how much Sam wishes to keep him around is a testament to how much Tusker means to him.

Tucci provides a performance that’s every bit as poignant as Firth’s, exhibiting someone who must convince his other half that he must move on when Tusker’s gone.  Tucci plays a character who has come to terms with his imminent passing and knows how he wants to spend his remaining time.  His character wants to hold onto his dignity in any way that he can, which, at times, can be empowering; and at others, it can heartbreaking.  Tucci not only shows us who his character is in the events of the movie, but also shows glimpses of who he was before his affliction, offering us a wider look into Tusker’s character. 

With the movie mainly being just Firth and Tucci on screen, we get a full view of how strong their on-screen chemistry is and the deepness of their characters’ relationship.  When they’re together, we’re given a sense of how their love for each other has grown over the years into what we see at the beginning of the film, and then shows how much further it can go when they face bigger challenges concerning Tusker’s illness.  The way in which they interact shows two people who trust each other with the other’s life, and Firth and Tucci immerse you in a depiction of a love that remains steadfast under the pressure of their situation.

The screenplay by Macqueen may be a little thin, but it still does well in establishing the central relationship and making you care for what happens.  The entire first third is just Sam and Tusker traveling the countryside and allowing us to get to know them and the significant issue that they’re facing.  The middle section has them spending some time with Sam’s family, and then the final third is just them again.  Given how much time is spent with only the two of them, the story gives us a full sense of the two main characters’ undertaking and provides us with an idea of the intimacy that goes in how they face it together.

Even during the segment of the movie where Sam and Tusker are with Sam’s family, Macqueen still provides moments for just the two of them.  This highlights how they feel as though they’re the only two people in the world, even when they’re among others.  There aren’t many occasions where they’re separate from each other, which helps us feel how much they’re making whatever time they have left together count.

As a director, Macqueen prevents the movie from becoming too maudlin in how it depicts someone with dementia.  Rather, it’s a quietly emotional portrait of two people battling someone’s illness.  Macqueen makes the most out of the segments of the film where it’s just Sam and Tusker, and he doesn’t go for emotional manipulation.  Instead, he lets the talents of his two leads convey that emotion through their restrained performances.  Between their performances and Marqueen’s direction, all three of them are able to maintain the drama that’s presented in this situation, making “Supernova” a movie where the open road helps its travelers open up to each other.

Grade: A-

A Filmmaker Gets More than Expected When Searching for Her Next Idea

Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott in 
"Black Bear"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Writer-director Lawrence Michael Levine’s psychological drama, “Black Bear,” is one of those movies where, even after you’ve been watching a few scenes, it’s difficult to get a grasp on what’s going on as a whole.  There isn’t a lot of setup, so we’re sort of just thrown into whatever’s happening, not having a prayer for the mysteriousness being lifted anytime soon.

Allison (Aubrey Plaza) is a filmmaker who’s in need of inspiration for her next movie.  She decides to stay at a lake house belonging to a couple, Blair (Sarah Gadon) and Gabe (Christopher Abbott).  As Allison begins her search for an idea and spends more and more time with Blair and Gabe, their lives will enter a complicated web of deceit.

Although Plaza shows glimmers of the deadpan humor for which she’s known, this role allows her to dig deeper into dramatic acting.  While she offers a look into this other side of her in the first half, Plaza is given a chance to go stronger with it in the second half, showing someone who’s emotionally shattered in what’s going on in her life.  Plaza shows a side to her acting of which we haven’t seen much of before, and it’s because of this that there’s an unpredictability as to what we will see her do, making that unexpectedness one of the film’s main source for its thrills.

Gadon and Abbott elicit plenty of vicious sparks as Allison’s presence causes the two of them to become increasingly hostile with each other.  The tenseness of Gadon and Abbott’s time together on screen places you right in the position of Allison as you’re forced to be an observer as Gadon and Abbott spitting venom at each other, offering a “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” vibe that keeps you hooked to the screen as you wait to see how far they will take their argument.  Gadon and Abbott start off with quiet barbs at each other before escalating into something more, and their verbal battles throw you in uncomfortableness as you watch their relationship fall into turmoil. 

Levine’s screenplay consists of two distinct halves, yet they mirror each other in intriguing ways, with both halves dealing in some way with the creative process.  I can’t go into too much detail about each segment, but when you’re plunged into the second half and the movie becomes something very different, you being to question everything you have watched and are watching.  This creates a narrative where your mind is always spinning to try to figure out how everything connects, and you’ll be making theories in your mind and then quickly rebuking them as you think of other explanations for the events of the film.  It’s compelling how separate these two halves seem at first, but it’s even more fascinating as you begin to see the resemblances. 

Levine has the movie take place in the lake house for both acts, with each of those halves telling a new story.  As we go from one act to the next, we see how Levine possesses an ability to make the setting feel different between the two halves because of what he shows us within the lake house and how he uses that environment to tell each particular half of the story.  This results in each half being thrilling in its own way.  The first half is nerve-racking in how you feel watching the tension rise between the three main characters, with many of the scenes happening at one place for an extended length of time.  In the second segment, Levine has many moving parts that he has to coordinate, and the way in which he does so when working with Robert Leitzell’s handheld camerawork keeps you on edge as you always wait to see what will go wrong next within the disarray that unfolds in the second half.  As the camera moves from one room to another, you become even more familiar with the interior of the lake house and are given the idea that anything can happen anywhere.

In a movie that puzzles your mind in the best possible way, “Black Bear” is never at risk of a dull roar.

Grade: A

Several Years After a Tragic Event, a Woman Sets Out to Right a Wrong

Carey Mulligan in "Promising Young Woman"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

There’s always a certain amount of excitement and intrigue to be had when a filmmaker takes on timely subject.  That’s made even more so when that director accomplishes that with their feature directorial debut.  This is the case with writer-director Emerald Fennell’s dark-comedy thriller, “Promising Young Woman,” a movie that takes on serious topic and manages to be as compelling as it is entertaining and humorous.

Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan) is a woman who attended medical school and had a bright future, but then dropped out with her best friend to take care of her after the latter was sexually assaulted and not believed.  Not long after her friend commits suicide over the traumatization of the past, Cassie begins seeking revenge on those who are at fault for what happened.

Mulligan delivers a stellar performance that’s both emotional and invigorating.  The way in which she has her character switch back and forth between being an unstoppable hunter of those who played a part in her friend’s death, and a woman who’s grieving over what happened in her past shows some of the best work that Mulligan has done.  The scenes where Mulligan has Cassie reflect on the past have an intense heartbreak because of how vividly Mulligan shows Cassie being haunted by her loss.  Then, in the sequences where Cassie exacts her revenge, Mulligan shows a satisfying ferociousness as she displays a deviousness that communicates how dedicated Cassie is in completing her mission, an embodiment of karma who makes sure that no one will forget what happened to her friend.  This is a powerful performance where Mulligan presents a modern-day vigilante, and there’s never a scene where she doesn’t bristle with poignancy or vengeful energy.

There’s an all-star supporting cast that populates Cassie’s tumultuous world, most notably Allison Brie, Connie Britton, Alfred Molina, and Molly Shannon.  While all of them only have one or two scenes, the four of them manage to leave an impression as we learn their connection to Cassie’s past and how their lives have been tainted in different ways by the tragedy that puts the film’s events into motion.  Their interactions with Cassie offer some of the most noteworthy scenes in the movie, offering a great deal of heavy drama in the moments where Cassie must confront the past and make things right.

Fennell’s screenplay maintains a firm handling in how it approaches its subject.  Yes, she crafts this movie as an entertaining revenge thriller, but she always manages to keep the crucial nature of this topic in the forefront, in one way or another.  Fennell never lets us forget the horrifying implications of what could happen to Cassie when she goes out to enact her objectives, always keeping us tense and disturbed as these scenes unfold and we see how Cassie will use her smarts to make sure her plans are successful.

Although this movie upholds the seriousness that’s needed when focusing on such a topic, Fennell is still able to add entertainment value when it’s called upon because of her ability to build a character for whom you can cheer.  Fennell delivers scenes in which Cassie is given the chance to turn the tables on the people whom she blames for the events of the past, presenting a character who means business and will do whatever she can to make people see everything from a perspective that they’ve been denying for years.  There’s a great deal of unpredictability throughout the movie, with Fennell exhibiting a talent for subverting your expectations, creating many moments that will have you wide-eyed as such scenes unfold.

Aside from Fennell’s ability to master the movie’s tonal transitions, her filmmaking ability also exhibits someone who’s able to use distinctive visuals to help present a story that you won’t soon forget, whether it be through the camerawork or color palette.  However, it’s the latter that really makes itself noticed, with Fennell utilizing a vivid sense of color as a way to expose the lives of the characters who have been ignoring what happened in the past.  This is an aesthetic that helps the movie stick in your mind and brings out a world that the filmmaker is imploring the viewer to understand.

Fennell displays a wonderful future in filmmaking, and she couldn’t have made a better entrance than with “Promising Young Woman,” a prime example of what a movie can do when it handles a topical issue in a hard-hitting and inventive way.

Grade: A