Jennifer Beals

The Netflix film Luckiest Girl Alive is secretly a drama tucked inside a mild thriller about how one woman’s traumas affect her years later. While this is a worthwhile topic, its creators seemed to think no one would pay attention without flashbacks of assault, knives dripping blood, and the soundtrack zinging in place of suspense.

Female as victim, with emphasis on rape, has served Hollywood well. While pretending to inveigh against such violence, these films have glamorized assault and added filmic battery with fragmented images of the victim. Thankfully, Luckiest Girl Alive is not that trite trope. The title is ironic. The multi-layered plot is trussed with conflicts. The last 15 minutes of Luckiest Girl Alive tie a beautiful ribbon of retribution on this gift of a film.