I can’t even begin to express how much I adored this movie, other than to say it had me hooked from beginning to end. I loved the plot, I loved the actors, the visuals, the soundtrack… in short, it was the best movie I’ve seen in years.
What made it so good (at least for me) was that it was so fucking relatable. Casual misogyny, predatory sexual behavior especially from so-called “nice guys”? Every woman has had to deal with that shit, and I’m sure most of us have fantasized about payback (I know I have). In that sense, this movie was wish fulfillment, though still realistic in its handling of the subject matter. Vengeance comes at a price. The system is designed to protect the abusers, not the victims. There’s no easy way out for Cassie, something she’s smart enough to realize as she follows through with her plans.
Beyond that, I loved how she (and the movie in general) dealt with complicity. The friends who turned a blind eye. The college dean who insisted on giving the rapist the benefit of the doubt. Those who blamed the victim, the lawyer who slut shamed her in order to exonerate his client. It’s never just one person… this movie did a great job of illustrating that and giving the accomplices the justice they deserved.
All in all, a fantastic (and extremely relevant) movie. I’ll definitely be watching again!
MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really wanted to like this movie, but I just couldn’t get into it. “Understated” crossed the line into “boring”, mostly because the stakes felt so low and I never got invested in any of the characters. That’s not to say that the acting was bad or there was anything wrong with the movie. Just wasn’t my jam.
That said, I did like the soundtrack. Alanis Morrissette and early Dave Matthews are always great, and it was lovely to hear a bit of Ani DiFranco.
