DIRECTOR: Mike Barker
CAST: Mila Kunis, Finn Wittrock, Scoot McNairy, Jennifer Beals, Connie Britton, Chiara Aurelia, Thomas Barbusca, Justine Lupe, Dalmar Abuzeid, Carson MacCormac, Alexandra Beaton, Nicole Huff, Alex Barone
RUNNING TIME: 115 mins
CERTIFICATE: 18
BASICALLY…: A successful woman (Kunis) is forced to confront her past trauma when it begins unravelling her perfect life…
NOW FOR THE REVIEW…
The dark realities of female trauma are extremely difficult to consume in current media, not just because there is such truth in the way that unspeakable acts are depicted, but also due to the fact that it can often be mishandled to a point where it can come across as exploitative. Currently, the internet is accusing Netflix’s Blonde of being exactly that kind of cheap, sickening exploitation that showcases nothing but misery and sorrow when it comes to female victimisation, but one wonders what they’d make of the streamer’s newest triggering drama Luckiest Girl Alive, which also shows graphic sexual violence in all its “glory” and sees its lead female protagonist use anger and unhinged psychosis as a coping mechanism.
Will that same crowd that’s bashing Blonde right now pay much notice to this one, too? Probably not, because Luckiest Girl Alive does at least have a bit more to say about underlying trauma than simply showing it in full detail, and at times can be all the more effective, if hardly revelatory, for it.
The film, based on the best-selling novel by Jessica Knoll (who also wrote the screenplay) is about Ani Fanelli (Mila Kunis), a successful career woman who is days away from nabbing the job of her dreams at The New York Times, and is about to wed the handsome and extremely wealthy Luke (Finn Wittrock). One day, she is approached for a documentary about a school shooting that occurred at her high school, which opens up a can of worms for Ani as she relives when, as a teenager (Chiara Aurelia), she experienced a series of brutal assaults by some of the boys in her class, including a guy named Dean (played by Carson MacCormac in flashbacks, and Alex Barone in the present) who went on to become a public spokesperson for gun safety. As Ani’s seemingly perfect current life begins to unravel at the seams as she recounts her traumatic experiences, she is compelled to decide what type of life she wants to lead once the world knows her truth.
Luckiest Girl Alive – both the film and the novel on which it is based – is a very personal endeavour for Knoll, since they depict events based loosely on her own traumatic experiences, and the author-turned-screenwriter keeps a tight focus on her protagonist’s psychological journey as she barely manages to contain her inner anger and often disturbing thoughts. Sometimes, though, it will feel like a prototypical situation where a descriptive author lends their hand to screenwriting, which requires greater emphasis on visuals rather than the written word, so you will have some long-winded bits of exposition – often delivered by Kunis’ inner monologue – instead of being shown vital details in this story. However, director Mike Barker adds an intentionally uncomfortable layer on top of the narrative, shooting scenes with some gritty hand-held cinematography where you feel that something bad could happen at any moment, even in scenes where not much is happening at all. This is evident in the actual scenes depicting graphic rape, which are shot in a way where you legitimately feel queasy as you’re watching because (aside from the fact that it’s, well, rape) the camera and editing are creating a sensory experience that puts the viewer in the crucial perspective of someone being physically taken advantage of. It’s often disturbing, but it wouldn’t feel authentic or even real if it wasn’t.
In addition to starring in the lead role, Mila Kunis is also credited as a producer, and as with Knoll you can feel within her a real drive to tell this story as carefully but also as empoweringly as possible. Her performance is strong here, as is Chiara Aurelia as teen Ani, and you really do understand both their anger and their deep cynicism within the affluent corridors that their shared character has had to walk through for most of her life. The story, as it evidently did when the original book was published, will resonate with viewers because of the strength of these performances and their deep commitment to exploring this kind of trauma without all the bells and whistles. As for the ending, which apparently differs from the book by essentially stretching out its epilogue (it originally ends after a key moment, also depicted in the film), it’s easy to predict it being a bit more divisive, since it does go on for longer than it needs to, and really doesn’t feel all that necessary when the crux of the main story is seemingly wrapped up a good ten minutes before it actually does conclude.
Other than that, it’s clear that there is passion behind this project, coming from the writer and its star/producer, and they do make it an effective watch where you are gripped enough to see it all the way through. It isn’t going to stand out as saying something that many other films dealing with female trauma haven’t already said, but Luckiest Girl Alive is a compelling enough starting point for those wanting to vent about their own possible experiences.
SO, TO SUM UP…
Luckiest Girl Alive is a decently compelling thriller that explores female trauma in effective, if not totally profound, ways, made possible by a capable script by Jennifer Knoll, and a strong lead turn by Mila Kunis.
