The ending of Netflix’s Luckiest Girl Alive explained

TW: Sexual assault, rape and murder

Since it was released over the weekend, Netflix’s latest thriller is The happiest girl in the world starring Mila Kunis, has remained firmly in the site’s top 10, and fans are already praising the film for its portrayal of victim allegations.

Based on the novel of the same name by Jessica Knoll, The happiest girl in the world tells the story of successful journalist Ani FaNelli (Mila Kunis), who is engaged to the man of her dreams. Their wedding is only six weeks away and Ani is hoping for a new job The New York Times. However, her picture-perfect life is in danger of being shattered when a documentary filmmaker invites her to star in a film about the school shooting she survived as a teenager.

Fans of the film have shared their reactions to the film’s ending with many saying it was “the perfect ending” and others say They were emotional and cried during the final scenes. So how exactly does it work The happiest girl in the world End? And how similar is it to the ending of the book?

That’s all you need to know about the ending of The happiest girl in the world on Netflix.

The happiest girl in the world ends on Netflix, explained

In the film, viewers learn that Ani was raped as a teenager by popular boys in her class, Peyton, Liam and Dean, and carries with her the trauma of that night.

As a teenager, Ani revealed what had happened to her to her boyfriend Arthur, who shared with her that he and her boyfriend Ben had also been bullied by the same boys.

Shortly thereafter, Ben and Arthur stage a shootout at their school. Arthur spares Ani during the shootout and Dean, who also survives, then spreads a rumor that Ani was part of the plan to shoot everyone.

Netflix

Throughout the film, Ani grapples with her trauma, particularly the fact that her rapist, Dean, has a successful career as a writer and gun control advocate.

However, at the end of the film, Ani decides to share her experience after being encouraged by her boss. At the end Ani writes a piece for The New York Times and secretly records Dean confessing to raping her as a teenager.

During the rehearsal dinner for her wedding to Luke, Ani receives the finished article, which is about to be published. Ani shows it to Luke, who says he wishes she had kept the matter private. Ani then confesses that she “used” him to hide from her trauma and decides not to marry him.

Ani stays in New York and changes apartments. She receives an overwhelming response from other women who tell her their stories, and she begins her career at The New York Times.

The final scene of The happiest girl in the world ends with Ani confronting a fellow journalist who supports Dean and accuses Ani of using him for her “15 Minutes of Fame”. Ani approaches her and asks her name, but doesn’t wait for her to say it, instead telling the woman, “I’ll just remember you as the woman I told her to get up.” fucking the f**k avenue.”

Is Netflix The happiest girl in the world Ending different than the book?

Netflix

The happiest girl in the world is based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Jessica Knoll. Knoll was heavily involved in the production of the Netflix film and along with Mila Kunis they worked to change the film’s ending.

In the book, Ani does not write an essay about her experience, but in the film she is an integral part of the conclusion The happiest girl in the world.

Knoll explained that they wanted to change the ending to reflect Knoll’s own experience as she shared an essay about her history of sexual assault for lenny letter

In conversation with Weekly entertainmentKnoll explained, “When Mila came on, there were several conversations about the ending not quite hitting home.

“At one point I remember saying, when I was writing my essay for Lenny Letter, I was just being inundated with messages from women telling their stories, and it released something inside of us where we were like, ‘Maybe there is there is a way to use that shape our ending.”

“It’s very meta that it’s a fictional story, a fictional character, but there are more elements inspired by my real life. I like that we looked at the year that followed me writing the book and my essay and the reaction to it and went on a TV show to talk about it. I liked that we embedded that in the film because I think it leads to a more epic journey for Ani to take.”

The Happiest Girl Alive is now available on Netflix.

For help on the topics covered in this article, go to: Rape Crisis England & Wales, Rape Crisis Scotland or Rape Crisis Northern Ireland. RASASC provides emotional and practical support to survivors, families and friends.