Is a film like "Luckiest Girl Alive" appropriate for recent times?

Source: Heaven of Horror

Don’t get me wrong “Luckiest Girl Alive” is not a bad watch, it is just not for everyone especially considering the current times. If any film should come with a trigger warning it should definitely be “Luckiest Girl Alive”. The primary reason behind the film being so triggering is the subject matter that the film’s narrative tackles. So it doesn't matter how thick your skin is, it will get under your skin nonetheless. 

“Luckiest Girl Alive” is a rated R film and Netflix had listed down all reasons that made it a rated R film. I mean I couldn’t thank Netflix enough for the heads-up. The film apologetically shows depictions of sexual assault and school shootings, so if you are sensitive toward such things it would be best to avoid watching the film altogether. But in all fairness, I don’t think we need a brutally honest movie in 2022. 

“Luckiest Girl Alive” is based on a novel of the same name, and the novelist Jessica Knoll also wrote the screenplay for the film. The film follows the perfect life of Ani FaNeli. Perfect why? She is a writer at a successful magazine and on her way to the New York Times magazine. Not just her professional life, she also has her personal life all figured out. She is planning her dream wedding with her wealthy and handsome boyfriend. But all that glitters is not gold.

Ani is haunted by her past, as an independent filmmaker keeps contacting her to be a part of a documentary about a school shooting that she survived as a girl. She had tried everything to hide her past from everyone, even changing her name from Tiffany to Ani. Her whole life she did everything to shape herself as a “wind-up doll”.

Source: TODAY

Why did I call her a “Wind-up doll”? Well, there is one thing she keeps saying throughout the entire film “Wind me up and I will say what you want to hear”. The statement alone is enough to stress you out but “Luckiest Girl Alive” took us deep into the mind of Ani which is not the place anyone would want to be in.

In the film, Ani is portrayed to be someone who has two “personalities”. On the outside, Ani is a socialite who is ecstatic to get married to the love of her life but inside she is a hot mess. Ani is furious and she can barely keep her calm. The trauma that no one knows about combined with the pressure of being in a documentary and reliving the trauma is slowly pushing her to the breaking point. When you thought you have had enough then comes the stunning performance of Chiara Aurelia who plays the young Ani. The film shows us how the young Ani lived through not just one but two traumatic events in her childhood.

“Luckiest Girl Alive” really picks up pace in the final third of the film when Ani finally rips off her mask and then she becomes a force to be reckoned with. This just might be Mila Kunis’s best performance. Mila Kunis with her portrayal of Ani will stress you out while keeping you glued to the screen. That is if you can stomach the trauma portrayed in the film. But my biggest criticism still remains the same, did we really need a picture like this now? School shootings are a traumatic event and recent incidents that took place I fear this film would open up traumatic memories for many school shooting survivors. 

How far should a director go while tackling events that are traumatizing for many? Should filmmakers be more cautious in choosing the right time to release their films, especially if it deals with social evils? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments!