In 2017, a short story by Kristen Roupenian called “Cat Person” was published in the New Yorker and became a viral sensation.
The story was about a 20-year-old college student, Margot, who meets an older man, Robert, at the theater where she works. They start texting and dating, but things go downhill after a bad sexual encounter.
The story sparked a lot of online discussion and debate about consent, communication, and gender dynamics in modern dating. It also resonated with many women who had similar experiences with men behaving badly.
Now, the story has been adapted into a movie, directed by Susanna Fogel and starring Emilia Jones as Margot and Nicholas Braun as Robert. The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and will hit theaters on October 6.
The movie trailer was released on Friday and it shows a darker and more suspenseful version of the story. It suggests that Robert becomes a stalker and a threat to Margot after she rejects him.
The trailer also features a quote attributed to Margaret Atwood: “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.” This sets the tone for the movie as a thriller about male violence and female fear.
The movie adaptation has received mixed reviews from critics and audiences. Some praised it for its performances and its exploration of power dynamics. Others criticized it for losing the nuance and complexity of the original story.
Whether you loved or hated the story, or you haven’t read it yet, you might be curious to see how it translates to the big screen. Watch the trailer below and decide for yourself if you want to see Cat Person in theaters.