The Netflix movie every mother needs to watch with her teen daughter.

I hadn’t heard of A Girl Like Her until my little sister Evelyn mentioned it in conversation.

“You need to watch it,” she told me and our older sister, Claire, between serves in the Australian Open tennis match on the telly. “It’s such a unique movie, I’ve never seen one like it.”

A week later, on a quiet Monday off from work, I plonked myself down on the couch and watched 91 minutes of tear-jerking, gripping, thought-provoking drama about high school bullying. By the time the credits rolled, I found myself reflecting back on my own time at school – and how all those years ago, at various stages, I played roles on both sides.

The faux documentary film directed by Amy S. Weber follows the lives of both Avery Keller (played by Hunter King), the quintessential teenage bully, and Jessica Burns (Lexi Ainsworth), her broken victim.

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Devastatingly, it begins with Jessica swallowing an entire handful of pills, only for her doting mother to find her hours later, lying unresponsive on the bathroom floor.

The bulk of the film concerns itself with what led to that very moment. The insidious nature of bullying in school life, the helplessness of parents, the inaction of witnesses and, ultimately, Avery’s ignorance that her actions propelled Jessica to claim her own life on those cold, hard tiles.

Relentless abuse and taunts guised as “jokes”, paired with physical threats and intimidation, stir up a sickening depiction of life as the victim – one that millions of teenagers are experiencing right this moment.

A Girl Like Her could have been a production that sympathises with the victim alone – but this movie goes far, far beyond that.

Intimate insights into Avery’s life – in particular her precarious relationships with her mother and friends – illustrate the story we rarely hear. Finally, we see the bully beyond the frame of their nasty “whore” texts, locker room shoving, and vile verbal taunts.

We see what caused that pitch black darkness inside them.

Of course, to sympathise with the character who repeatedly abused Jessica in person and online seems absurd - but Weber’s careful storyline construction leaves viewers also feeling for Avery, who emerges from the script as an equally troubled young person.

The story teaches us that we need to start reaching out to the perpetrators of bullying, too. Until we address the problem at its root, we will never find a solution.

More than anything, though, this story says volumes about consequences. And that’s exactly why it’s so important to watch with your daughter or son. Their actions at school this week, term, or year, could very well change the course of their life.

A Girl Like Her was screened exclusively across American middle schools, high schools, and colleges because it drives home that the mistakes we make as teens can have a devastating impact.

Australian parents and their teen children will take so much away from this movie. While A Girl Like Her may not win any awards for cinematic excellence, it will make you think.

Because sometimes, high school isn’t just high school. And we need to start talking more about what’s going on behind the drop off gate.

A Girl Like Her is available to watch on Netflix.