From the outset it’s clear that there’s something amiss with Ani Fannelli’s world in ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’ but Netflix’s description of their latest hit, doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of how intense the plot line is.
Based on the novel of the same name by Jessica Knoll, the streaming service merely describes the loosest parts of the plot saying, 'A writer’s perfectly crafted New York City life starts to unravel when a true-crime documentary forces her to confront her harrowing high school history.' Believe us when we say that’s not even the half of it…
Whilst Netflixhas rated the drama as R for violent content, rape, sexual material, language throughout and teen substance abuse, some viewers are arguing that the streaming service should add an extra warning due to its graphic depiction of said content.
Not only does ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’ dramatise the gang rape of its lead character, Ani - played by Mila Kunis later in the film - who’s a teenager during the incident, but there’s also an intense school shooting and so fans are arguing that there needs to be a trigger warning that appears on screen at the start of the film.
Taking to Twitter one user commented, 'Why doesn’t Luckiest Girl Alive come with a trigger warning? This is too intense', whilst another user tweeted, 'Luckiest Girl Alive def[initely] needs a trigger warning before some of its more graphic scenes but so far so good.'
It’s always difficult when a whole storyline hinges on a sexual assault but to reveal it would be a spoiler, however it seems that Netflix may have missed the mark in trying to strike the balance here. Shock factor is a commonly used dramatic device, but when the incident itself is this sensitive perhaps Netflix should add additional trigger warnings for viewers who may be affected.