Netflix currently offers the movie ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’. It’s a movie with Mila Kunis and it tells a story about a girl that survived a mass shooting at her high school. Well… that is what the guide text of Netflix reads anyhow, cause that is precisely not what this movie is about. Not in the slightest.

This movie is about a girl surviving one of the worst things that can happen to a young girl. Of course the shooting was traumatic, horrendous, and very sad, but it’s the thing she had to learn about certain men (then boys) in her life that make her a true survivor. It is something that many women have to go through, though not always in the same manner. I do believe the trauma in many ways can feel the same, even when it is not rape, but other sexual or other misconduct by teenagers.

Silent suffering

Sometimes it can feel so lonely. You have experienced something with some people that no one will ever truly understand. Those guys may have told you they did not do anything wrong. You may not be sure if you remember things correctly. But you know what: in the end it is about how something made you feel and what influence it has had on your life. I am glad it is rape in Luckiest Girl, cause it could not have been made more clear that it was not okay. However, there are so many ‘lighter’ versions of this story that entail the same kind of trauma. Doubting yourself, silencing yourself to keep the peace, the things we put ourselves through and the silent suffering that goes with it: it is a bit too familiar for many women.

I found Luckiest Girl Alive frustrating at times, which was interesting, as our heroine is not very straightforward about her story. That is the problem: oftentimes women decide to keep those things to themselves, giving them even more reason to feel like it may have been their ‘fault’  after all. Cause you know, as soon as you speak the words, they are there, and people will do something with those words. 

Luckiest Girl Alive

I really appreciated how much the movie shows her thoughts and the silence together with the struggles she has inside. At some point you get frustrated with her for not telling her story, but at the same time you can’t really blame her. You just wish she had the strength to do it, and the bravery. This is exactly why this movie is so important, because in the end you will feel good. More than that actually: you will feel like you should take action yourself too.

Maybe that is just me though, as she is a writer too. It really inspired me too. Not just to tell this story, as I will still need to find the right words to actually write the story, but also to be more brave in my writing. These are my stories, people will always hate on them, but I can’t keep writing with other people and their criticism in my head. I should write for myself, as it would allow me to feel much more freedom. At least, I hope it will. I will definitely try.

Luckiest Girl Alive is streaming on Netflix right now.