Reviews: Review of “Am I Okay?” (“Am I OK?”), film by Stephanie Allynne and Tig Notaro with Dakota Johnson (Max)

This debut feature, which has Will Ferrell among its producers, premiered with good reviews at the 2022 Sundance Festival, but then nothing was heard about it until finally, almost two and a half years later, it comes directly to streaming on the Max platform

After the media attention she got with the role of Anastasia Steele in the erotic saga of Fifty Shades of GreyDakota Johnson chose films like Bad moments at the Hotel Royale (2018), The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019), Our Friend (2019), The dark daughter (2021) and Cha Cha Real Smooth, let’s dance! (2022) who showed it to be much more multifaceted and versatile than it initially seemed. In that sense (on that path), I’m fine? It emerges as a new demonstration that, without losing its somewhat austere and contained essence, it can set increasingly demanding objectives and emerge successfully from those challenges.

In this first feature film by Stephanie Allynne and Tig Notaro (both with extensive experience as actresses) written by Lauren Pomerantz (with extensive experience in the cycle Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show), Dakota Johnson is Lucy, a 32-year-old woman who is in the middle of a professional crisis (she has long ago abandoned painting), an emotional crisis (she cannot form any more or less intimate or lasting relationship) and, to top it off, her best friend, Jane (Sonoya Mizuno) is about to travel to settle in London for a while.

Lucy is not interested in men other than as casual friends, but she does feel a growing attraction to women, although she is too shy and insecure to openly and publicly embrace her desires. However, when a masseuse named Brittany (Kiersey Clemons) begins to circulate and becomes increasingly interested in her, she begins to lower her armor and repressions.

Film by, with and about women (there are, however, some nice male supporting roles by Jermaine Fowler, Whitmer Thomas and Sean Hayes), I’m fine? It is a light tragicomedy that flows quite easily and elegantly thanks to the delicacy with which the directors approach their characters and the naturalness with which the actresses construct vulnerable, contradictory characters with multiple nuances. We are not facing a disruptive or overly provocative film, but we are facing one realized with sensitivity and conviction. This is not a minor merit.

PS: I put together a playlist on Spotify with the soundtrack of the movie

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