What do a comedy, sci-fi, and fantasy film have in common? In this case, they all masterfully use Olivia Rodrigo’s pop rock ballad “Brutal” to set the tone for a shake-up that’s about to come. 

Known for her angsty breakup anthems, Rodrigo blew up with the release of her 2021 debut single “drivers license,” which had everyone and their mothers belting the lyrics. It didn’t take long before it felt like Rodrigo was everywhere. And she is — literally. The pop star kicked off her first arena world tour earlier this year to promote her second studio album, Guts. And you may have heard a few of her hits right here on Netflix. 

So grab your tissues and your favorite snacks, and sink your teeth into these films and series featuring songs by Rodrigo. 

Devil in Ohio

This limited series starts with a bang — literally. Devil in Ohio opens with a gunshot from inside a remote home as a mysterious teen girl escapes in the middle of the night. Mae (Madeleine Arthur) runs across the property, through fields of tall grass before reaching the road, where she tries to wave down a car. Unfortunately for her, the car’s occupants don’t stop. They’re rocking out to Rodrigo’s hit single “Good 4 U” — a banger about an ex who moved on too quickly — and picking up a stranger on the side of the road might not be the vibe. The song choice perfectly emphasizes Mae’s desperation alongside the indifference of people who can’t be bothered. 

Devil in Ohio

Limited Series   TV-MA   2022

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Do Revenge

Sometimes you have to “do revenge,” but you also need the right soundtrack to kick it off. In this comedy about vindictive teens, Drea (Camila Mendes) is an It Girl with a perfect life, perfect friends, and perfect boyfriend. But her whole life quickly falls apart when her sex tape is leaked to the entire posh private school — and Drea soon finds herself with no friends and no boyfriend. She decides to take matters into her own hands and channels her anger into getting payback. Cue “Brutal,” a song about all the betrayals and disappointments of adolescence. It’s the perfect song for doing revenge, and it needle drops at just the right moment, playing alongside the film’s title sequence. 

Do Revenge

1h 58m   TV-MA   2022

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The Imperfects

Here, “Brutal” appears once more, but this time as a background song as Tilda (Morgan Taylor Campbell) negotiates touring terms for her rock band, the Itchy Nipples. The pop rock song from Rodrigo’s 2021 album Sour perfectly complements Tilda’s demands as she explains to the person on the other end of the phone, “Music is the blanket that keeps me warm.”  

The Imperfects

10 Episodes   TV-MA   2022

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The School for Good and Evil

Helen Sloan/Netflix

Last but not least, what better way to use “Brutal” than in a sequence about setting out on a mission to take control of one’s life? In The School for Good and Evil, best friends Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie) find themselves on opposing sides of a modern fairy tale as they attend an enchanted school for girls who are trained to become either heroes or villains. But there’s one problem: Sophie’s in the school for evil. The film effectively needle drops Rodrigo’s anthem as the girls put into motion their plan to change Sophie’s story. 

The School for Good and Evil

2h 29m   PG-13   2022

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You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah

Every coming-of-age story needs a good soundtrack, something that captures the essence of a young person’s most pivotal moments. In this film, lifelong BFFs Stacy (Sunny Sandler) and Lydia (Samantha Lorraine) have a falling out right before their highly anticipated bat mitzvahs when a popular boy comes between them. This is a story about the love between two childhood best friends and the growing pains they experience when they enter adolescence. So it felt natural for Rodrigo’s “Traitor” to play after the girls’ falling out, when Stacy feels like she’s losing her best friend. In fact, director Sammi Cohen told Tudum in 2023, “The [music in the film] as a whole is supposed to feel like a playlist Stacy would make. So, really, I think every song in here is a must-include, but if I had to pick one [standout] it would be ‘Traitor’ by Olivia Rodrigo.”

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah

1h 43m   PG-13   2023

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The Tearsmith

Loris T. Zambelli/Netflix

Two orphaned teens reunite when they’re both adopted by the same loving family, but they’re sworn enemies with a complicated history. Rigel (Simone Baldasseroni) and Nica (Caterina Ferioli) share a traumatic past from their time at a solemn orphanage called Sunnycreek, but as they come together to face some of their painful experiences, a romance begins to brew between them. As the tension builds between Rigel and Nica, the film uses Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” a song about being manipulated by someone in a toxic romance, to play up their complex feelings about each other.    

The Tearsmith

1h 45m   TV-MA   2024

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