Luckiest Girl Alive might not be the perfect film. But it does rattle you with its visceral storytelling. Mila Kunis headlines the project, whose plot revolves around an adult woman about to be married and struggling with a grave injustice from her past. When the accusations resurface, she is forced to revisit the horrific memories of the tragedy, while looking to clear her own name. This is perhaps one of the first movies that accurately captures so many aspects of the trauma of rape, the fear of attacking one’s rapist, about the overwhelming desire to bury it because this crime committed against you has ultimately turned you into a crime yourself. There is rarely any justice for rape victims, and this movie is an absolutely stunning rendition of why that is.
We dove deep into recent film history to pick out thematically similar films to Luckiest Girl Alive on Netflix. So, if you did like it, check out these titles below. Among them, we have also included a TV show available to stream on Netflix. Given the seriousness of the subject and how rushed some parts in the film, especially Ani’s teenhood, felt, a television adaptation might have also been a good idea.
1. Do Revenge (2022)
At the outset, Do Revenge and Luckiest Girl Alive are very different from each other. They probably won’t even fall in the same catalog on Netflix. But if you look closely enough, you will find them to be quite related. Ani and Drea’s characters are maybe only separated by the tragedy that befalls them. The tone of Do Revenge could have been much like Luckiest Girl, if the creative choices were different. The eventual story twists also set them apart but their two female center heads bring them closer than you’d think. Both became subjects of trauma in school and bullying at the hands of the “trust-fund” kids when they were;t of use to them. The moment the rich kids felt threatened by their presence, they retaliated and ostracized them. Their reputations were destroyed and the claims of their perpetrators of injustice were kept above theirs. Do Revenge is not too somber to watch, compared to Luckiest Girl, but surely shares the same ethos and female representation.
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2. Promising Young Woman (2020)
Emerald Fennell’s biggest strength in Promising Young Woman is her ability to flatter the viewer with softballs. For every serious turn in her plot, she readies a distraction that is disarming and purposeful at the same time. Her intention while telling Cassie’s story is to subvert the male gaze and exploit the inherent femininity in the subject matter. Carey Mulligan’s central turn is a sound embodiment of vengeance married with the tender feeling of care for her friend. The way she plays Cassie will surely tear you apart. Fennell’s creative choice to give up the central conceit and approach her narration in a spoiler-free manner is admirable. This shifts focus from how things will play out and questions about the details towards a sense of injustice that ravages Cassie from the inside.
It is a similar sentiment to Luckiest Girl Alive and the horrifying contentment that Ani is made to settle with. Both films have a unique way in which they communicate the message, although Promising Young Woman nudges ahead of the former. The undeniable palpability rests inside both the female lead characters that speak out to you as a viewer. Promising Young Woman is one of the most important films of our times.
3. The Fallout (2021)
‘The Fallout’ became the talk of the town in light of recent school shootings in the US. People clamored to see the film and highlighted how it quantifies post-traumatic stress in young children. Even legislators commended it for an uncompromising representation. In pure Lynne Ramsey style, director Megan Park uses the power of not showing violence but its effects and impact very well. Unlike Luckiest Girl Alive, we do not see any guns but gunshots, no gunmen but the fear that they incite, and the subtle manner in which the girls come to terms with the reality of their lives. Luckiest Girl Alive too managed to touch upon the issue, briefly in its web of themes.
WhatPark so impressively evokes in Jenna Ortega and Maddie Ziegler’s performances is the withdrawal from the family. That is one key aspect for those suffering from post-trauma. For children, the task is even harder. You just don’t understand how to make sense of the world anymore and seek comfort in the company of those that are placed in the same boat as you. Luckiest Girl also showed glimpses of that in Ani’s behavior, although it is less enhanced considering her maturity.
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4. Martha Marlene Marcy May (2011)
This is perhaps Elizabeth Olsen’s finest turn and arguably one of the best representations of past trauma. The very essence of what the film sets out to achieve makes it an uncomfortable watch, like Luckiest Girl Alive. Martha May is even more closeted and inaccessible for viewers looking to pass time. It is a serious story that demands your undivided attention. Like Ani, Martha too tries to adjust to her new life in a familiar setting after running away from a toxic cult setup. Although she hardly has any control over herself like the former, Martha exhibits more tangible suffering from the wounds of her time in the cult. The backstory is as brutal as the one in Luckiest Girl Alive. Things like taking her clothes off in front of other people or starving herself, give the portrayal a very authentic look.
To go with the creative choices, Olsen also exploits her perception in the public eye to great effect. She subverts the generally expected archetype when we see her perform. The confidence with which she characterizes Martha and brings her pain out through small details are the hallmarks of a thinking performer. This is an extremely relevant film to visit or revisit if you liked Luckiest Girl Alive.
5. Unbelievable (2019)
‘Unbelievable’ is the television miniseries on the list. It is based on a true story, which was then elaborated upon in a nonfiction book as well. Three female stars lead the cast and tell the story of Marie Adler, a survivor of sexual assault and a victim whose account is not believed by many. The incredulous circumstances of the crime aroused national sentiment in favor of Marie and the extrapolated sense of injustice from what she went through. The show features a winning story told with precision and touching tenderness. The efforts to make the narration respectful and mindful of the modern-day perception of women through the rise of social media is something makers of Unbelievable consciously put in. Even at the risk of maybe softening the mechanics of the investigation, they take pride in running home the point.
Just like in Luckiest Girl Alive, Marie struggles to gain acceptance from other people who do not understand the trauma. The pain and aftermath are quite similar to what Ani suffered. Both wanted to tell their stories but on their own terms and refused to be strong-armed. Although they do have personality differences, their stories are very much alike. It is a series you will not relish seeing but not watching it would probably be a mistake.
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6. Honor Society (2022)
Angourie Rice spearheaded this delightfully twisty high-school drama with aplomb. The narration style truly engaged us as viewers. It is not often that movies break the fourth wall as effectively as Honor Society does. The reason it is on the list is because of how similar the first half of Luckiest Girl Alive is to its style. If you had previously seen Honor Society, you would have felt the same. Both Honor and Ani are strong central narrators with a firm grip over how the story is told. It is only in the second half that Ani loses control once the school shooting is brought up in the documentary.
Honor Society is in itself a very watchable film, given its intense character study and defiance of high-school movie tropes. It resists that mundane banality of genre movies where the core conceit is given up in a straightforward manner and the only way to win the viewer over is by warming them up to the female and male leads. Honor is a unique blend of all that we want to be and the pernicious film reality that is often so elusive in real-life.
