Carey Mulligan stars in director Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman.”

“Promising Young Woman” is one of the most infuriating, clever and darkly funny films to come out of 2020 while placing itself in the position of having a distinctly polarizing effect on the audience.

Director and writer (and currently playing Camilla Parker Bowles in “The Crown”) Emerald Fennell makes her directorial debut with this revenge thriller that takes a glaring look at rape culture in America.

Carey Mulligan stars as Cassie, a former med student who at 30 is still living with her parents (Clancy Brown and Jennifer Coolidge) and works as a barista after dropping out of school along with her childhood best friend Nikki. The film slowly reveals that Nikki was raped at a party and the school and their peers didn’t believe her.

So seven years later, Cassie spends about one night a week going to bars and pretending to be sloppy drunk when supposed “nice guys” come to her aid. When they offer her a ride to take her home, the guys suddenly figure this is the perfect chance to take advantage of the drunk girl from the bar. When they try, Cassie drops the act and teaches them a lesson.

Keeping a running tally of all the guys who have picked her up and attempted something, a notebook is filled with hash marks indicating that this has happened hundreds of times.

When a former classmate Ryan (Bo Burnham) shows up at her coffee shop, he reveals he’s always had a crush on her and asks her out. Through him she learns that Nikki’s rapist is getting married and is back in the area and switches to seeking revenge for the people that directly wronged Nikki all the while slowly falling for the sweet Ryan.

Without giving too much away, “Woman” definitely takes its time (sometimes too much without some storylines really concluding) getting to the shocking and twisted ending that makes you want to scream, laugh and cry.

It also interestingly casts the “nice guys” with actors known for their other work as generally nice characters including Adam Brody, Sam Richardson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and even Burnham giving the audience an even bigger distinction between how one person seems and how the could react given the opportunity.

Mulligan, however, is the guiding compass of the entire film. The low octave growl of her American accent is coupled perfectly with her borderline anti-heroic performance.

While Cassie’s revenge is sweet, she is not who we should be rooting for, given her gravitation towards psychopathy in enacting her plans. But it is hard not to as we know the grief she is working through is a powerful incentive.

Mulligan’s subtle performance in an over-the-top situation brings impactful precision to Cassie’s mission, which slowly burns just behind her eyes before igniting fully by the end. It is powerful work that she is doing, and she does it very well.

It may not be for everyone given the nature of the plot and it can make your skin crawl, but it is rarely gratuitous.

“Promising Young Woman” is smartly done, weaving in bubble gum pop attitudes toward young women and the darkly sharp machinations of one woman’s path toward delicious revenge.

“Promising Young Woman”

113 minutes

Rated R for strong violence including sexual assault, language throughout, some sexual material and drug use.

3.5 stars