Fans of Jessica Knoll's novel "Luckiest Girl Alive" will get to see the powerful story come to life this fall when Netflix releases a movie based on the bestseller.
The film stars Mila Kunis in the lead role of Ani FaNelli, a young woman who has a successful journalism career and is about to marry the man of her dreams in just a few weeks. But long-buried secrets threaten to emerge and disrupt her image as the "luckiest girl alive."
The movie adaptation of "Luckiest Girl Alive" is written by Knoll and directed by Mike Barker, with Kunis also serving as producer. If you can't wait to dive in, TODAY just debuted an exclusive sneak peek of the trailer to tide you over until it hits Netflix on Oct. 7.
The two-minute clip is narrated by Kunis (aka Ani), who begins by talking about her dream job at the New York Times Magazine and her dreamy fiancé Luke (Finn Wittrock).
"Luke comes from money, but I have something no trust fund can’t buy: the edge," Ani says as a woman on the street stares longingly at her fiancé and she turns back as if to say, "He's mine." Luke, it seems, is a component in Ani's dream life. "I am this close to the life no one thought I deserved," she says.
But something is cracking through the surface — a secret Ani is keeping about her past.
As the synopsis reads, "When the director of a crime documentary invites her to tell her side of the shocking incident that took place when she was a teenager at the prestigious Brentley School, Ani is forced to confront a dark truth that threatens to unravel her meticulously crafted life."
The flashbacks hint at what happened at Ani's high school. While attending a party in the present day with Luke, Ani recognizes a man (Scott McNairy) who used to be a teacher at her high school, and introduces herself as "TiffAni," rather than Ani. The trailer then flashes back to the character as a teenager (Chiara Aurelia), looking disheveled at a convenience store when she runs into the teacher.
With the documentary, Ani has a chance to bring the past into the present via a documentary. "There are still so many questions that you've never answered," the filmmaker says as she flashes back to a memory that shows two girls running through a flooded hall. "People want to know: Were you a hero or accomplice?"
One of Ani's former classmates has made claims against her and he warns her not to speak about "what happened that night."
As for what she'll do? Ani's mom (Connie Britton) who seems to dissuade her from sharing her side of the story. "Imagine what it's gonna be like when they find out about what happened," she says.
'Luckiest Girl Alive' by Jessica Knoll
And rather than supporting Ani's potential desire to share her story, Luke would prefer that she keep the past in the past, however traumatic it might be. "Do you have to get into the nitty gritty details for the whole world?" he asks.
While wearing a white gown, Ani offers Luke insight into her state of mind. "I carried this horrible thing with me alone for years and it has built up this rage inside of me," she says and displays that anger in the following scene as she pushes Luke.
As the trailer flashes back and forth between past and present, Ani tearfully admits, "I don't know what's me and what part I invented."
In the last scene, Ani appears to sit down for an interview for the documentary as she narrates the trailer with the following sentiment: "Sometimes I feel like a wind-up doll: Turn my key and I will tell you exactly what you want to hear."
The synopsis of the book gets tat the question the movie will explore: "Will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for — or, will it at long last, set Ani free?"