Indulge me in dabbling in film review this week, because there are two I’ve been drawn to recently – I Care a Lot, a Netflix film starring Rosamund Pike, and Promising Young Woman, written and directed by Emerald Fennell, starring Carey Mulligan. I admire both actresses hugely, and have a massive crush on Emerald Fennell, who is marvellously multi-talented. But it was more the tone and content I was interested in – the black humour, and the fact that both films are about women taking control. There’s an element of female fantasy there, one which feels particularly timely. I can’t watch PYW yet as it’s only out in the US, but I have a few things to say about both of them anyway.

I Care a Lot is deliciously, unrepentantly dark, flippantly cruel and occasionally ridiculous. I loved it. The terrifying Pike (even her name is threatening) stars as Marla Grayson, a court-appointed guardian who seizes the assets of the elderly people in her care. She’s a robber and a grifter, but a very stylish one, with a razor-sharp bob and a flashing smile that sends a chill down your spine. She’s doing very well with her ill-gotten gains, until she picks the wrong OAP to mess with. Dianne Wiest plays Jennifer Peterson, a wealthy retiree who Marla hustles into a care home, before plundering her lovely house and pilfering her diamonds. But Jennifer has friends (principally, a son) in high places, and they’re not happy. Soon Marla’s being threatened by the Russian mafia, and it seems she’s bitten off more than she can chew.

Except she hasn’t. This is where the film pivots, taking an unexpected turn. Because when Jennifer’s mob boss son Roman (a charmingly deadly Peter Dinklage) abducts her, what’s striking about their encounter is how utterly unafraid she is. Instead of cowering and begging, she’s imperious and opportunistic – and there’s something thrilling in the contemptuous arch of her eyebrow as she stares him down. Imagine living without fear in that way. It’s insane, and not at all practical, but how liberating, how empowering; to cast off the cloak of dread and approach everything as nonchalantly as Ms Grayson. I guess you could argue this is an odd film, because the characters have few if any redeeming features, and it’s hard to know who to root for. Yet when Marla turns the tables on Roman, operating with the focus and conviction of a psychopath, a big part of me was cheering her on.

As I said, sometimes the action tips towards absurd, and occasionally you have to suspend disbelief, watching these two sadists clash in increasingly gruesome and outlandish ways. But it’s refreshing to see this all play out so boldly, with a female protagonist who isn’t remotely interested in being liked or lusted after. She just wants what she wants, and gets on with getting it. It’s a towering performance from Pike, who thoroughly deserves her Golden Globe. I’ve revered her ever since I saw her in An Education – as Helen, she did deliberate vacuousness so beautifully, an actress supremely in command of her talents.

Of course, Pike appeared in that film with Carey Mulligan, which brings me to (the Oscar-nominated!) Promising Young Woman. Mulligan chooses her projects wisely – I enjoyed her performance in The Dig recently, which was thoughtful and classy. There was a furore around PYW because a critic from Variety queried her suitability to play a femme fatale - whatever he intended by that comment, it was lazy criticism, and Mulligan was right to call him out on it. Another actress taking back control, and she certainly does that in Promising Young Woman. It only seems to be available in America at the moment, but I’m drawn to the premise - Carey plays Cassie Thomas, a medical school dropout seeking to avenge her best friend, a victim of rape. The trailer is tantalising and unsettling, raising several questions for me. It’s one thing to pretend to be drunk to lure potential rapists to take advantage, but what happens after you confront them with your stone-cold sobriety? I want to know why she’s not fazed by that scenario; what she’s got up her sleeve. Because all most of us have is a set of keys, clutched between shaking fingers.

Like many women, I’ve been feeling the fear, lately. The fear that we are the weaker sex, reliant on men not exploiting that, putting all the power in their hands. These two films offer a brief escape – to picture a world where we don’t feel afraid, are free to take charge of our own destinies, wrest back control and tell stories where it’s not all men driving the narrative, but women. Strong, inventive, fearless women.

• I Care a Lot – Netflix
• Promising Young Woman – available to rent via online digital stores in the US, UK release date unconfirmed