When critics label a movie "controversial," audiences need to ask themselves if that was the director's intended purpose of the film or if the people who actually watched the story unfold felt uncomfortable and decided to label it as such. With Miller's Girl, there is absolutely no debate; it is meant to make you cringe. Miller's Girl was initially released in theaters in January 2024, but that was short-lived as no one cared to see an erotic thriller about a student-teacher affair, even if Jenna Ortega and Mark Freeman's characters were getting hot and heavy on camera. Now, with the movie moving over to Netflix, people are clicking on it and finding the plot quite repulsive.

The story starts off with Cairo Sweet (Ortega) joining a creative writing class with Mr. Jonathan Miller (Freeman) as her instructor. Miller is instantly fascinated by Cairo's mind, the way she speaks, and the fact that she has brought his one and only novel to class on the very first day. Within a short amount of time, Miller begins to see Cairo in a new and inappropriate light, and Cairo, being the headstrong young woman that she is, decides to use Miller for her own personal gain. To get into Yale, Cairo must write a paper depicting her greatest achievement, and after some not-so-careful thought, she decides that an affair with Miller will be the perfect topic.

On the surface, Miller's Girl is a bad example of a disgusting situation that happens far too often in our own society. However, at the end of the erotic thriller — that is, if you can actually stomach the whole thing without just shutting off your TV — there is a slight nod to the psychological aspect that comes full circle. Ortega's Cairo will stop at nothing to achieve greatness, and in the end, she truly does not care who she brings down. Fans will find themselves wanting to like Cairo or sympathize with her because, given the power dynamic between her and Miller, she is supposed to be the victim. Unfortunately, Cairo is manipulative, pretentious, and a pretty horrible person who is not looking for any sort of pity or redemption for her actions.

Check out what actually happened at the end of Miller's Girl.

Miller's Girl Dives Into an Inappropriate Student-Teacher Relationship

Between the Power Dynamic and the Age Gap, Audiences Hate It

A teenage girl, living in a big house all by herself, who is desperate for affection is pretty much the recipe for a disaster. However, with Cairo's intellect, there was never a chance of having a random fling with a boy her own age. Instead, she wanted to be seen, acknowledged, and loved for her mind. This is not something a typical teenage boy is capable of doing without being taught, and Cairo is in no mood to teach. She wanted a man who could keep up with her wit as well as find her mature.

At the very beginning of Miller's Girl, Cairo asks a simple question, "What is an adult?" She explains that at the ripe age of 18, she is completely unremarkable, and, like many girls her age, she longs to escape her small town, be meaningful, and be loved. This sets the foundation that Cairo wants to be seen as an older and wiser version of herself.

However, since she is in fact a high school student who does not seem to make many friends, her options and prospects are limited. When Cairo meets Mr. Miller, the latter is instantly fascinated by his new student because of her eloquent vocabulary, her matter-of-fact way of speaking, and the very fact that she already finds him somewhat interesting due to the fact that she is reading his book. This intrigue, mixed with Miller's dying marriage, which is the result of his wife constantly working and looking down her nose at her former writer husband, was the cherry on top of the already bad equation.

Both Cairo and Miller take things to an inappropriate level with lingering looks, shared cigarettes, a passionate kiss that makes viewers want to gag, and a terribly graphic sexual story that Cairo based on her very own affair with Miller. What is really sickening is the fact that everyone tried to justify their actions.

Cairo wanted to be inspired to write about her greatest accomplishment. Miller believed his lackluster marriage and sex life gave him no choice but to find another outlet. Winnie (Gideon Adlon), Cairo's best friend, encouraged Cairo to go after Miller as she had her own eyes on another teacher. Lastly, that same teacher, Mr. Boris Fillmore (Bashir Salahuddin) seemed completely unbothered by the fact that Winnie had sent him an explicit picture of her and Cairo locking lips. He tried to justify it to his friend Miller that he still never crossed a boundary. In all, no one handled their situation.

Cairo and Winnie Are Desperate For Love

Lonely Teenagers Long for Connection

Cairo's speech at the beginning of Miller's Girl about how she longs to feel loved clearly shows why she is seeking attention, but it is also obvious that Winnie feels the same way. Both girls like being noticed, though one of them is more willing to go out of her way in an obnoxious sense to get spotted by her potential targets. The two teen girls have clearly bonded from both of them feeling a bit left out, and that has resulted in them seeking out affection from those they deem worthy. Cairo makes it clear that she believes she deserves better than anything that could be deemed "ordinary," and Winnie is still unsure of exactly what she wants. She goes back and forth about trying to seduce Mr. Fillmore, but she is also curious about engaging with the same sex, more specifically, Cairo herself.

While their interest and pursuit of two much older male teachers is absolutely disgusting, there is also something really sad about it. Both Cairo and Winnie are smart, and they are interesting in their own ways. For them to feel like they need an older man's attention and possible affection really speaks to the fact that they need better relationships with their parents. They need boundaries and rules, and they need to understand that there is so much more to life than living in a small town, smoking cigarettes, and playing mind games with men.

The Ending of Miller's Girl is Psychologically Disturbing

Jenna Ortega's Cairo Gets Exactly What She Wants

After an hour and a half of the horrible teen erotica, one would think that there would be a big twist in the end that ties everything together and makes the audience say, "Ah-ha, that makes sense!" Sadly, Miller's Girl does not do this. Instead, the film ends on a rather disturbing, yet very realistic, note.

Miller has been suspended, but he does not know if he will be fired. Cairo and Miller go in front of the school board, and from Cairo's subtle smile, it seems like she gets what she wants: to feel seen by others. Cairo leaves the audience with her final remarks about feeling like an adult for what she did, but she questions the idea that adults are much like adolescents, wanting the same things but actually having to adhere to the consequences when things go wrong. She tells Winnie that her essay is done, and she wrote what she knew, which was technically Miller's advice all along.

In all, Cairo gained experience, she found an interesting take on a horrible and disgusting situation, and she ruined a man's entire life. Or did she? Miller had also been longing for a spark in his life to get back to writing, and by getting involved with (and pretty much grooming) Cairo and finally hearing what his wife really thinks about him, he gets inspired to write. The ending of Miller's Girl is twisted and convoluted, but one thing is for certain: no one is redeemable.