“The black comedy of writer-director Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman effortlessly shifts from comedy to thriller to rom-com to horror movie, often within a single scene, as the Focus Features release tells the tale of the clever Cassandra Thomas, played by Carey Mulligan, who was viewed as a promising young woman until mysterious circumstances prompted her to drop out of medical school.”
Source: Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter
AT A GLANCE:
Film editor Frédéric Thoraval discusses his collaboration with writer-director Emerald Fennell for her debut feature, Promising Young Woman, in an interview with Carolyn Giardina for The Hollywood Reporter.
Despite the film’s “roller-coaster tonal shifts,” Thoraval credits Fennell’s script for maintaining an emotional through-line. “It was set up in the script. We knew how Emerald wanted to play with the different genres and set up those clear moments that are more horror movie, more thriller or rom-com. Her writing is very precise,” he said. “The main thing was to follow the character of Cassie; she helps us to follow the changes of tone. [Once you] have the connection with the main character, you hopefully can accept when Emerald pulls the rug out [from under you], and Emerald is changing those emotions very fast.”
Carey Mulligan (left) stars as “Cassandra” and Connie Britton (right) stars as “Dean Walker“ in director Emerald Fennell’s PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features 
Carey Mulligan stars as Cassandra in director Emerald Fennell’s PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN. Cr: Focus Features 
Carey Mulligan (left) stars as Cassandra and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (right) stars as Neil in director Emerald Fennell’s PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN. Cr: Focus Features 
Clancy Brown (left) stars as Stanley and Jennifer Coolidge (right) stars as Susan in director Emerald Fennell’s PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, a Focus Features release. Cr: Focus Features 
Alison Brie stars as Madison in director Emerald Fennell’s PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, a Focus Features release. Cr: Focus Features
Cassie’s meeting with Dean Walker (played by Connie Britton) exemplifies how the film moves from comedy to horror within a single scene. “In this moment, the audience perceives that scene is done,” Thoraval notes.
“But in reality, this is the start of a new phase — a ‘reset’ of the action for the tension to slowly build again as Cassie plays with the dean, telling her what she supposedly has done to the dean’s daughter — visually, with the camera tracking in on Cassie, and sonically, with an ominous score starting and a sound effect creeping in underneath — until the climax where a panicked Dean Walker is shouting.”
Head over to The Hollywood Reporter to read the full story.
