RAINN supports Netflix Film Luckiest Girl Alive and Portrayals of Sexual Violence in the Media

There is an importance in getting right the portrayal of sexual violence in movies, films, and documentaries as sexual violence is a reality for an alarming amount of individuals in our world. While it is important for the media to educate audiences on the realities of sexual violence and its effects, it is just as important to stay mindful when producing content that can be hard to watch and digest. In response, RAINN partnered on the Netflix Film Luckiest Girl Alive to give survivors access to resources and to make sure that portrayals of sexual violence are mindful, survivor-centered, and trauma-informed.

RAINN’s communications team is grateful to have worked with Netflix on Luckiest Girl Alive. During this partnership, RAINN’s communications team helped provide language for an end card directing to RAINN resources, and reviewed the script and scenes for the film. Providing a content warning gives agency to the viewer to engage or not engage with potentially triggering content. The end card for Luckiest Girl Alive provided viewers a resource page to go to after watching the film, directing them to wannatalkaboutit.com which includes resources from local organizations like the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) in the U.S and the Online Hotline which is also available in Spanish at RAINN.org/es. This is just one part of RAINN’s work as thought leaders in the sexual violence space, leading and informing the media on the importance of portraying sexual violence in a survivor-centered and trauma-informed way.

Viewing films like Luckiest Girl Alive and others that portray sexual violence mindfully, can directly impact a survivor’s healing experience in a positive way. Luckiest Girl Alive portrayed survivor, TifAni Fanelli (played by Mila Kunis), constantly struggling with flashbacks in her adulthood of a school shooting and multiple perpetrator rape that happened in her childhood. When a film portrays the reality of how healing happens in waves, is not linear, and has no timeline and how trauma can resurface for years to come, survivors may see their experiences reflected accurately and feel validation that their experiences are real. These films can also help end stigmas that surround sexual violence, which often can affirm a survivor’s experience even more.

RAINN’s communication team had the privilege of moderating a roundtable discussion with author Jessica Knoll and actress Chiara Aurelia from Luckiest Girl Alive. If you haven’t seen the discussion yet, please visit this link to check it out!

To speak with someone who is trained to help, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or chat online at online.rainn.org.