Luckiest Girl Alive

What’s it about?

Living in New York with a great job and about to get married, Ani Fanelli’s life begins to unravel when she is faced with reliving her teenage traumatic experiences. Plagued by her flashbacks she is angry but is unsure if she should finally share her story with the world.

The facts

● Directed by Mike Barker

● English language

● Runtime: 115 minutes

● Based on the novel by Jessica Knolls

Why did it get this rating?

This film was self-rated by Netflix. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Rape

In a drawn-out flash back Ani is raped by three different boys, who she considered as friends. The focus is on Ani’s face and how upset she is but implied sexualised movements suggests that the rape is occurring.

This is a particularly hard-hitting scene, especially when blood from vaginal bleeding drops on the floor underneath her. The rape is referenced throughout the film.

Content that may disturb

The film deals with a very challenging storyline where a young female is brutally raped and is made out to be a bad person because of this. She is bullied, ostracised and learns how others have also been hurt by the same boys.

It is revealed that one boy is convinced by the same three boys to go out into the woods where he is held down while another defecates on his chest.

Violence

In another drawn-out flashback there is an explosion in the school cafeteria and two students start shooting their peers.

Students are shown being shot in the face, neck and legs, while bodies lie on the ground. One boy bleeds from the neck and he makes choking noises, while another is short point blank in the leg and falls down.

One of the shooters is stabbed in the neck with a small knife and he falls to the ground shaking and choking until he dies. Injuries aren't shown in detail but the sound is hard-hitting.

Offensive language

Offensive language is frequently used throughout the film both casually and aggressively, especially the F-word.

Helplines

• Safe to Talk
• Youthline NZ
• 1737

Further reading

Why Luckiest Girl Alive Is Sparking New Discussions on Trauma

Detailed impactful content guide: Luckiest Girl Alive

When trauma is involved, there are no spoilers

Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?

How I wished my parents talked to me about upsetting content