Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: TV And Film, Books, Netflix
Daisy Phillipson
Content warning: This article includes discussion of sexual assault
In need of some good viewing this weekend? Then look no further, as there's a new mystery thriller and viewers are calling it 'the best film they've seen all year'. You can watch the trailer here:
Netflix's Luckiest Girl Alive, directed by Mike Barker, is based on Jessica Knoll's best-selling novel of the same name.
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The plot centres on Ani Fanelli (Mila Kunis), a New York writer whose life is all falling into place – the perfect job, the perfect partner, you know the drill.
However, her incredible fortune starts to unravel when a true-crime documentary forces her to confront her horrifying high school trauma and the choices she made as a teenager.
The hard-hitting film opened in US cinemas last Friday (30 September). Cinephiles in the UK can now see what all the fuss is about too, as the movie drops on Netflix worldwide today (7 October).
Though critics' reviews on the big screen adaptation are mixed, it's safe to say the fans have been loving the film.
As said by one viewer on Twitter: "@MilaKunisv a great performance in such an amazingly beautiful movie! Luckiest Girl Alive has to be the best film I’ve seen all year!"
High praise indeed – and there's plenty more where that came from, with another writing: "Luckiest Girl Alive is an absolute must watch, it really is a fantastic film."
"Luckiest Girl Alive on Netflix is soo good I love Mila Kunis," added a third, while a fourth said: "Luckiest Girl Alive is super triggering but sooo good. 10/10 for sure!"
Speaking of which, the movie features some dark themes, with writer Knoll weaving many of her own experiences into the story.
Back in 2016, Knoll published an essay in which she bravely described being gang raped by three boys at a party while she was in high school, only to be labelled a 'slut' by her fellow classmates after.
She wrote: "Like Ani, the only way I knew to survive was to laugh loudly at my rapists' jokes, speak softly to the mean girls, and focus on chiseling my tunnel out of there."
In a recent interview with Tudum about the movie, Knoll said this is why it was so important for her to be the one to pen the script.
"There was so much of my own story and experience embedded in this character," she explained.
Barker completely agreed, telling the outlet: "My job was to help [Jessica] tell her story in a different medium.
"It’s about a woman having to face the trauma she’s hidden for such a long time in order to move forward."
If you would like sexual violence support or information, you can find specialist services in your area here. You can also contact The Survivors Trust helpline team for more information about the different types of support available.