Film review of Me. Am. So. Happy.: Trigger Warning Needed?

The film Luckiest Girl Alive (or in German I. Bin. So. Happy.) is making waves on the internet right now. Not because Netflix grabbed the toilet again with the German translation, or because the title tops the Netflix charts, but because a trigger warning was missing. And somehow not entirely wrong, because the film not only addresses blatant topics, but also explicitly shows them. Rape, murder and a rampage in a school – the subscription giant probably knows by now that Netflix has to deliver a tagging system for explicit content if it doesn’t want to continue to be pilloried on Twitter.

But the film should not be dismissed as a simple internet outcry. According to Moviepilot, I am. Am. So happy. almost as successful as the highly acclaimed title Gone Girl by David Fincher. The two productions are only comparable at first, superficial glance. It’s about women and violence. However, you shouldn’t ignore the fact that it’s ultimately about two different genres and the main actresses are structured completely differently.

Amy in Gone Girl comes across as a nice wife who turns out to be a psychopath and more than once shocks the viewer with her extreme actions and cunning. Tifany, also called Any in the film, from Me. Am. So happy. is the exact opposite. Due to violent incidents in her childhood, she has grown into a manipulative person and appears psychotic in the first moments of the film. Ultimately, however, it turns out that she actually only wants to uncover the lies about her person and has to brace herself against society – but also against those closest to her.

Any has built the seemingly perfect life through manipulation.

Source: Netflix

Complex instead of one-dimensional

The ruthless Any turns out to be an ambivalent person who certainly has real feelings inside, but suppresses them and pushes them aside in order to achieve justice. She is layered from the start and goes through a clear development that Mina Kunis embodies convincingly.

While Any initially sticks to her ruthless vendetta and initially shows no scruples, over time it turns out that she is not unrepentant about alienating people to whom she would like to open up. And while she’s carrying terrible trauma, Any isn’t broken or losing sight of her goal to put her past right.

The portrayal of perpetrators and victims is successful – due to the sensitive topic. This is not black and white, but nuanced. Nobody is fundamentally bad, but they are not good either. Almost every human being has a personal agenda that they are pursuing and that comes within me. Am. So happy. out of here. One would think – and the established film critics agree on this – that the film wants too much in some places. Social criticism is included in the last minutes of the film, which at first seems out of place, as the film is about the fate of an individual and how it is dealt with in a narrower circle.

Wanted too much?

While this twist may seem a bit clumsy, it’s ultimately the fence post that represents Any’s overall subject. All of her actions stem from the fact that society doesn’t take her seriously, and as a result she must change her starting point while struggling with the decision to pursue her dream or to flee the horrors of her past.

In its social criticism, the plot braces itself against a world in which victims of sexual assault have to fear that they will not be believed or that they will experience a perpetrator-victim reversal. But she also focuses on the relationship between mother and daughter and, in this context, the manipulation that victims of sexual assault experience from their immediate environment. Either out of shame or out of powerlessness, the victims are not allowed to speak or the truth is at least twisted until it fits into their own ideal worldview. So as not to expose those close to them, silence follows.

In addition to social criticism, I. Am. So happy. its focus on the interpersonal dramas that also play a role in victims of sexual abuse.

Source: Netflix

Yes, the topic deserves a trigger warning. But it is precisely those affected who benefit from the depiction in I. Am. So happy. Because it shows: It is ok to stand up and pillory someone from your own environment when they have earned the place. Personal ties may be severed if one’s own well-being falls by the wayside because of them. Physically, but also mentally.

Not for everyone

That I. Am. So happy. ultimately tries too much and cannot be completely dismissed. In addition to all the horrors and conflicts that trigger violent reactions in Any, the film also takes a critical look at the exploitation of such themes. Director Aaron tries to get Any on board for a documentary about the events of her past – with no real regard for her trauma, which ends up making the situation worse.

Ironic that i. Am. So happy. This is exactly why it receives criticism and, according to some critics, appears too exploitative. The film offends and only has a very pointed target group that can really relate to what is shown. In any case, you don’t have to expect popcorn cinema, but you can expect a successful depiction of a trauma without exaggerated drama.