[Editorial] Editor's Note: Rape Revenge On Screen

After watching Promising Young Woman, I was duly reminded of one of the reasons that I set this site up.

As I was searching online for some facts about the film, I noticed that there were more and more negative reviews of the film written by men… There is no way that I’m saying men shouldn’t write about rape-revenge films, I certainly know a few men and they love films like Revenge, but there seems to be something that doesn’t quite sit right with me about it. Reading Dave’s* review of a film like this left me feeling somewhat bitter and little down about how the state of the world hasn’t really changed that much, and how someone that could easily be a character within the film didn’t really like the film that much. 

*not real name, just an easy example

It is this continuous misunderstanding by the critic of the film that really fucking infuriates me. Perhaps you’re not quite the target audience and you’ve been tasked to review the film - why not suggest that a female counterpart who will potentially relate to the film have a crack at it? It is interesting to see how critical this man (and some others) are of a film that shows the worst side of men and raises the issues that so many women face on a day-to-day basis. Rape culture is still a very big issue for women, and we still face it every single day of our lives. Since a young age I have always just kind of swept it under the carpet and tried to avoid actually recognising the harms of rape culture towards my own personal being, but Promising Young Woman bleakly and truthfully put these female truths on screen and kept breaking my heart over and over again at the very relatable aspects that happen on screen. It is so hard to watch a film like this when similar incidents have happened to you in the past, because all of the emotions that Cassie goes through on screen are so understandable and relatable which is not easy to deal with. 

I find it incredibly infuriating reading through the comments from critics that just can’t even begin to fathom what it is like to be a female living in this toxic world. There are just so many differences to being a man in the world compared to being a female in the world, and therefore personally I would like to see more women reviewing rape revenge films and providing a commentary on them. I am completely sick and tired of seeing those who have no relatable experiences to what they see on screen slating films that don’t even apply to them… That’s exactly why places like Ghouls Ghouls Ghouls exists, to provide more commentary from the flip side of things and allow rape revenge films like Promising Young Woman, I Spit On Your Grave, Ms.45, American Mary and so many others to have perspective from someone that can actually find relatable causes within what they see on-screen. Growing up and constantly having to listen to voices that had no authority on the subject they were talking about was always upsetting and completely inspiring. 

The point is that Promising Young Woman is a prime example of how when you allow the right voice to cut through the noise, you’re presented with a film that tells the story from the female perspective and is relatable to those who have had similar experiences. Which is exactly why when a film like that is being critiqued it should come from the audience it was made for, and the audience that it directly speaks to, not the audience that it is condemning. It is essentially the same concept as when The Guardian decided to let someone who detests horror review a horror TV show, and start their despicable article with “I don’t like horror but…” it is such an unfathomable concept that it’s unbelievable. In 2020 I learnt something very valuable from a dear friend and from a writer I aspire to be like, and that was Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. She said on a podcast recording (for the incredible Ariel Baska’s podcast Ride The Omnibus episode EXTREME, with the awesome Ali Taylor there too) that she actively avoids writing negatively about things, and much prefers to focus her time and energy on only talking about what she has a positive feeling towards. And even though I’m here negatively ranting about reviews of Promising Young Woman, my point is that if you are going to review something that you either don’t like at all (point to The Guardian writer) or cannot even begin to understand, you’re always going to have a negative outcome and that just doesn’t seem like a progressive way to go about things. 

So in order to end on a positive note, I’m here to say I want to read more perspectives on topics that actually apply to the writer. I want to hear from the unheard communities on what certain films mean to them, and why those films matter from their perspectives. Shout out to all the incredible outlets and people that are already writing like this, because these are the words of the future and give me such a rush of emotion reading through. 

Love and guts,

Z x

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