Luckiest Girl Alive viewers urge Netflix to add trigger warning to start of film: ‘Watch with caution’
Netflix users are issuing warnings for those planning to watch Luckiest Girl Alive.
The new film, which is based on the 2015 novel by Jessica Knoll, follows Mila Kunis’ lead character who is faced with a past trauma related to a horrifying high school shooting.
Those who have watched the 18-certificate film since its release on Friday (7 October) are alerting their Twitter followers to the fact that the film features “harrowing” scenes many might find triggering.
Netflix briefly mentions that Luckiest Girl Alive features “sexual violence” and “threat” at the top of the screen when the film starts – but many users believe this is not enough, and are saying it should be made clearer that the film features “intense scenes of sexual assault”.
“Netflix really dropped the ball on not adding a giant trigger warning for Luckiest Girl Alive,” one viewer wrote.
Another subscriber added: “Heads up to anyone who wants to watch Luckiest Girl Alive on Netflix. The movie is triggering, heavy and the sexual violence scenes are graphic. I hate it when they do this coz there was no trigger warning.”
“I was bamboozled by Netflix’s description of Luckiest Girl Alive,” an additional user stated, writing; “No trigger warning, no heads up, no nothing.”
Soooooo a HUGE Trigger Warning for anyone who is considering watching Luckiest Girl Alive please know there is a violent and explicit sexual assault in it.
— Spooky Bri 👻 (@brirydernyc) October 7, 2022
Hey @netflix a content warning would have been nice!!! Graphic sexual assault and school shooting in this movie and there was no content warning or anything at all?? That's messed up.
— Spooky Bri 👻 (@brirydernyc) October 8, 2022
yeah um luckiest girl alive needs a massive trigger warning on it i am so sick to my stomach right now watching this wtf
— ally (@divinekarmaaa) October 9, 2022
luckiest girl alive on netflix is......so good....but also pretty traumatizing. very graphic scenes of rape/sexual assault so watch with caution if you're interested.
— kristine ♡ (@kriisxtine) October 7, 2022
Netflix has faced similar controversy before, with the film All the Bright Places.
Also, upon the release of 13 Reasons Why in March 2017, the series sparked a debate about whether it deals with the subject of teen suicide tactfully and was criticised heavily by mental health organisations
It was reported at the time that schools were issuing letters to parents warning them about the drama, which led to the show’s producers defending their decision to include the controversial scene.
Luckiest Girl Alive, which co-stars Connie Britton, Scoot McNairy and Finn Wittrock, is available to stream on Netflix now.
Find out whether it’s based on a true story here.
The Independent has contacted Netflix for comment.