'I watched Promising Young Woman and all men need to see it'
I recently watched the Oscar-nominated movie, and although it focuses on women's experiences, I think men should watch it, and this is why
When I first watched Promising Young Woman, I was struck by how deeply it spoke to experiences that women know all too well. But, as much as the film resonated with me, I couldn’t stop thinking about how important it is for men to see it.
The movie, which was written and directed by Emerald Fennell, who made her feature debut with the film, follows Cassie (Carey Mulligan), a woman who dropped out of medical school after a traumatic event involving her best friend's rape.
In the movie, she seeks vengeance by targeting men who exploit drunk women. Consequently, Cassie pretends to be drunk at bars to catch predators who attempt to take advantage of her, exposing them for their predatory behaviour and punishing them psychologically.
Cassie’s deeper revenge mission is to hold accountable everyone who wronged her best friend, Nina, after Nina was raped in medical school, leading to her implied suicide. As a woman, Promising Young Woman wasn’t exactly eye-opening.
The movie depicts cat-calling, sexism, and various predatory behaviour most women are unfortunately all too familiar with. As a result, it didn’t shock me or teach me anything new.
Nevertheless, what struck me most was who the film may have really been intended for - men. It doesn’t scream “you did this”, but quietly holds up a mirror to a culture many men don’t see themselves in.
Emerald Fennell herself has made it clear that her aim was to challenge those who haven’t looked deeply at the everyday dynamics women face. In her words: “I am optimistic that men will go see it…
“It’s for everyone, including and especially people who haven’t thought that deeply about this stuff”, reports Hotpress. In my opinion, there were several key moments in the movie which I felt were teaching moments for male viewers.
The opening scene
Cassie pretends to be drunk, and a man (Adam Brody) swoops in under the guise of “helping” her, only to try and take advantage of her later. This scene reflects on how “nice guy” behaviour can mask predatory intent..
The conversation with Cassie’s former college friend
In the movie, Cassie confronts Madison (Alison Brie), who dismissed her best friend Nina’s assault, showing how complicity and denial enable predators. The scene reveals that sexual violence isn’t just about “bad guys”, but also about the silence of bystanders who normalise it.
Confrontation with her former university’s Dean
Cassie’s former university Dean (Connie Britton) failed Nina by prioritising the school’s reputation over her safety. This moment highlights rape culture and institutional negligence, and how “not taking sides” almost always protects perpetrators over victims.
Cassie’s grim discovery about her boyfriend
Cassie discovers that her boyfriend Ryan (Bo Burnham), the friendly pediatrician who used to be her college mate and seemed different from the other men, far from toxic masculinity, actually participated in mocking Nina’s assault. The scene is like a punch in the gut, showing that being a “good guy” in day-to-day life doesn’t erase past complicity.
Nina’s abuser and his lack of guilt
Promising Young Woman’s climax occurs when Al Monroe (Chris Lowell), the man who assaulted Nina, shows how he never took accountability and still got to live his life without consequences. It shows the system overwhelmingly protects men, even those guilty of serious harm.
The final act of revenge
The movie’s ending shows Cassie’s final act of revenge, forcing accountability in a system stacked against her, but only at the cost of her life. The final scene illustrates the devastating toll of a culture that refuses to believe women until the evidence is undeniable.
I believe Emerald Fennell created the film to challenge blind spots, particularly among men who might not recognise how deeply normalised complicity and predatory behaviour can be. I think men need to watch the movie, not because it’s “about women”, but because it confronts them with the very behaviours, excuses, and systems they benefit from, especially since they more often than not do not realise it.
Promising Young Woman confronts uncomfortable truths about how gendered violence and harassment actually happen, and not in abstract headlines, but in everyday interactions. Moreover, I don’t think the movie is about demonising men as a group, but rather about highlighting a system that allows women to be hurt and ignored.
The movie pushes men to be challenged to recognise how they may have contributed to a woman’s abuse by looking the other way, laughing at the wrong joke, dismissing a woman’s story, or excusing a friend’s behaviour. Whenever conversations about gender-based abuse come up, some men are quick to get defensive and say “not all men”.
But that response misses the point. And, in Promising Young Woman, predators are not portrayed as obvious monsters lurking in the shadows, but shows that abuse and assault often come from people we know, trust, or even love.
Ultimately, the movie’s most unsettling revelation is that abuse is committed not by strangers, but by men who look like “nice guys”, colleagues, boyfriends, and friends. That’s why women live with a constant undercurrent of fear: because we can never know who is safe, and too often, we have every reason to be scared.
For men, watching this film can open their eyes to that reality, to understand that women’s fear isn’t paranoia, it’s lived experience.
You can stream Promising Young Woman in the UK on Sky Cinema and the streaming service NOW. You can also rent or buy the film from providers like Amazon Prime Video or Sky Store.