Having made an incendiary film about toxic masculinity in Promising Young Woman, British director Emerald Fennell seems stunned to hear how often sexual assault has been in the news in Australia this week.
“It’s unbelievably frightening how prevalent this is and how far we still have to go with this stuff,” she says. “And it’s completely and utterly mad to still focus on the victims of the crime rather than the perpetrators.”
“There’s no other crime where we foist the responsibility onto the victim”: Emerald Fennell, writer-director of Promising Young Woman. Credit:AP
Fennell is upset to learn that Prime Minister Scott Morrison has stood by Attorney-General Christian Porter after his vehement denial of an historical sexual assault (“just taking someone’s word for it … is truly callous”) and that the country’s top military officer, General Angus Campbell, told new recruits not to make themselves prey to sexual predators by being out “alone” and “attractive” after midnight.
“There’s a serious endemic lack of empathy when it comes to women particularly but victims in general,” she says. “That’s the only way I could possibly begin to explain why you would suggest that a woman be less attractive.
“Apart from anything else, if you’ve lived as a woman in the world for five minutes, you’ll know that there’s nothing you can do. You are vulnerable all the time.”
Fennell is speaking from England after hearing that the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts has named Promising Young Woman best film at its 10th international awards. Its star, Carey Mulligan, won best actress in film.
Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman.Credit:Focus
Just as at the Golden Globes this week, best director went Chloe Zhao for Nomadland and the late Chadwick Boseman won best actor in film for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Sacha Baron Cohen was named best supporting actor for The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Olivia Colman best supporting actress for The Father, while The Queen’s Gambit won best drama series and Schitt’s Creek best comedy series.
