Am I OK? | Review by: Gal Balaban

 

Am I OK? doesn’t reinvent the wheel for female-led indie dramedies, but makes a strong case for how much Dakota Johnson has seriously always belonged in these kinds of films (look no further than Cha Cha Real Smooth). She and Sonoya Mizuno have a charming and delicate friendship in which one of them is seriously not sure if she’s OK with her overall life these days.

As a 32-year-old woman drifting through life and just discovering her true sexuality, Johnson makes her character universally relatable when it comes to the confusion, loneliness, and desperation/stuck-ness that Lucy goes through. Mizuno also clearly belongs in more leading roles, so I only hope this is yet another example for Hollywood as to her leading talents.

It may not offer something exceptional or unique to itself, but the directors and writer of Am I OK? make a film that’s unapologetically about female friendships, queerness, and that funny, odd sadness many of us experience in different stages of life. And it’s quite a humorous and short watch, too.

4/5

Review by: Gal Balaban