Netflix Fans Demand Trigger Warning for New Movie

By Daniel S. Levine

The new Netflix movie starring Mila Kunis has been a success for the streamer, but it's not without its critics. Luckiest Girl Alive is based on the novel by Jessica Knoll and centers on a woman who endured a series of traumatic events as a teenager, from surviving a school shooting to being gang-raped at 14. Although the movie has an R rating, some viewers were completely unprepared for the level of violence and are demanding a trigger warning be added.

Luckiest Girl Alive's R-rating cites "violent content, rape, sexual material," language, and depiction of teen substance abuse. Netflix also mentioned scenes of "sexual violence" and "threat" in a disclaimer shown before the movie, notes Today. After viewing the film, dozens of Netflix subscribers took to Twitter, demanding the streamer add a stronger trigger warning so those who do not wish to experience the most graphic of these scenes would not have to.

Kunis stars in Luckiest Girl Alive as Ani Fanelli, who appears to have a perfect life in New York City. However, she is secretly still recovering from a series of traumas in her teens that continue to haunt her into adulthood. As the movie unfolds, the audience learns more about the horrific experiences she had, including a school shooting and being gang-raped. When she tried reaching out for help after she was raped, she was met with ridicule. Now as an adult, she is left to wonder if she is really happy with her current life. Finn Wittrock, Scoot McNairy, and Justine Lupe also star, with Chiara Aurelia playing a young Ani. Mike Barker (The Handmaid's Tale, The Sandman) directed the movie from a script by Knoll.

'No trigger warning no heads up no nothing'

Scroll on to see how Netflix users are demanding a trigger warning be added to the film.

prevnext

'A content warning would have been nice!'

When Knoll published her book in 2015, she insisted the story was fictional. In a 2016 Lenny Letter essay though, she revealed that part of it was inspired by her real experiences.

prevnext

'Thought I missed the trigger warning'

"I always feel a little undeserving of being called like brave or courageous, because I had to (open up) in fiction," the author told Today. "There were these dueling things inside of me. I desperately craved the release of getting my story out on paper and the validation of recognizing what had happened to me as rape. I needed that."

prevnext

'Netflix really dropped the ball'

She later added, "But on the other hand, I was frightened that people would read it and come to the same conclusion that people did when I was in high school, which was that no violation had occurred and that I had somehow participated in it."

prevnext

'Good job... on the trigger warning you didn't provide'

Knoll said she hopes the Netflix movie brings Ani's story to a wider audience. "I think the biggest thing would be that maybe more men come to this story because we're on a platform like Netflix," she told Today.

prevnext

'It's very graphic in its depictions'

Although some viewers may be shocked by Luckiest Girl Alive's content, the movie debuted at the top of Netflix's Top 10 Films chart. The 113-minute movie logged 43.08 million hours watched between its release on Oct. 7 and Oct. 9.

prev
0comments
Start the Conversation

of