Promising Young Woman as a Social Problem Film (2020)
This paper examines Emerald Fennell's Promising Young Woman (2020) as a social problem film, drawing on scholarly definitions to argue that the film dramatizes rape culture, victim blaming, and the gender power gap as urgent contemporary social concerns. The paper traces how the film's protagonist, Cassie, embodies these wider social conflicts through her individual encounters and her pursuit of justice for her friend Nina. It further considers how institutional failures — such as Dean Walker's dismissal of Nina's assault — reflect systemic male privilege, and concludes by affirming that, despite the film's tragic resolution, the social problem it depicts remains solvable.
- Defining the Social Problem Film: Genre definition applied to Promising Young Woman
- The Central Social Conflict: Rape Culture and Victim Blaming: Cassie's encounters illustrate systemic rape culture
- Power, Privilege, and the Obstruction of Justice: Dean Walker's failure reflects institutional male privilege
- Women's Agency and Ongoing Vulnerability: Modern women remain vulnerable despite progress
- Conclusion: Film affirms social problem is real but solvable
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What makes this paper effective
- It anchors the film analysis in a precise scholarly definition of the social problem film genre, establishing a clear theoretical framework before applying it to the text.
- It moves fluently between macro-level social critique (rape culture, gender power imbalance) and micro-level textual evidence (specific character encounters such as Jerry, Neil, and Dean Walker).
- It ends with a measured, evidence-based note of optimism — citing Maland's argument that social problems are by definition solvable — rather than leaving the analysis stranded in the film's tragic ending.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of secondary sources to frame primary text analysis. Rather than summarizing the film's plot, the writer uses Doles (2023) and Maland (1998) as theoretical lenses, quoting them directly and then applying their frameworks to specific scenes. This technique signals academic engagement beyond mere description.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a genre definition, then maps the film's social conflict, examines institutional failures as evidence of systemic privilege, addresses the ongoing nature of the problem, and closes with a thematic evaluation of the film's social value. Each paragraph advances the argument rather than simply describing plot events, keeping the analysis tight across roughly four substantive paragraphs plus references.
Defining the Social Problem Film
As Doles (2023) points out, "social problem films (sometimes called social-consciousness films, message movies, or other similar phrases) are films that dramatize some set of concerns, which they depict as broadly representative of the conditions of their historical moment" (n.p.). In essence, a social problem film can be understood as one that fuses a wider social conflict with the conflict — at the individual level — between the various characters depicted within it. The larger social conflict in the case of Promising Young Woman (2020) is victim blaming and the failure to respect the choices and wishes of vulnerable women. Rape culture continues to be perpetuated by the failure to bridge the gender power gap in matters of decision-making. It can be argued that it is this power gap that promotes the oppression of women, and it is this same power gap that leads some men to believe they are justified in taking advantage of vulnerable women.
The Central Social Conflict: Rape Culture and Victim Blaming
This larger social conflict is integrated into the conflicts between the film's characters through the various encounters Cassie experiences as she approaches thirty. Cassie finds herself in numerous scenarios where her apparent vulnerability — presenting as drunk — serves as a motivating factor for certain men to attempt to have sex with her. Examples include her encounters with Jerry and with Neil. The social conflict highlighted here also connects to Cassie's resolve to change the narrative, while simultaneously seeking to ensure that her friend Nina finally receives the justice she deserves.
It can be argued that the maintenance of privilege and power over women by men effectively obstructs attempts to secure justice for female victims of violence. This theme is explored through the lens of rape culture — a term used to describe social environments in which sexual violence is normalized or excused through prevailing cultural attitudes. The film engages directly with these attitudes through Cassie's confrontational methods and the reactions they provoke.
Conclusion
Promising Young Woman (2020) stands as a compelling example of the social problem film, lending weight to the urgent social concerns examined in this paper. Through Cassie's story, viewers are invited to engage at an emotional level with the struggles of a woman navigating a world in which victim blaming and rape culture remain pervasive. The issues she confronts are clearly identifiable as problems within the larger social context, and her crusade against them can be characterized as both empathetic and instructive. Ultimately, the film confirms that while these problems are real and ongoing, they are not insurmountable.
References
Doles, Steven. 2023. Social Problem Films. Oxford Bibliographies.
Fennell, Emerald, director. 2020. Promising Young Woman. Film Nation Entertainment. 114 min.
Maland, Charles. 1998. "The Social Problem Film." In Handbook of American Film Genres, edited by Wes Gehring, 305–328. New York: Greenwood Press.
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