10 Deaths That RUINED Movies
3. Cassie Thomas - Promising Young Woman (2020)
Promising Young Woman is a troubling, fascinating film from director Emerald Fennell, focussing on the long-term emotional effects of sexual abuse, survivor's guilt and injustice.
The film follows Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan), a woman traumatised by the assault and suicide of her best friend years earlier, who now spends her days pretending to be blackout drunk at bars to scare unsuspecting men into moments of self-reflection about how they treat women.
Throughout the movie, Cassie is slowly building toward getting revenge on the man (Chris Lowell) who assaulted her friend all those years ago, and it looks like she's going to win. Only, at the last second, he kills her - though not before she sends the police after him.
Whilst Cassie technically gets what she wanted out of her vengeful crusade, the fact that she literally has to die in order to see justice is both distressing and avoidable. Sure, it can be seen as an allegory for how society often fails abuse survivors and only effectively acts when it's too late, but given the film's progressive and empowering themes, Cassie's death feels ultimately counterproductive.