‘Not Okay’: Where Fiction and Reality Meet in the Middle

Photo courtesy of Hulu and Searchlight Pictures.

Not Okay is a film written and directed by Quinn Shephard. It was released on Hulu on July 29, 2022. Its premise follows a young woman (Zoey Deutch) who stages a fake trip to Paris to gain attention on social media. When a real-life tragedy happens in the real world and becomes a part of her trip, she receives all the attention she was craving and more.

The content warning in the beginning of this film is no joke. The protagonist of this film is very unlikeable. Zoey Deutch is so captivating, even in roles where she portrays a character like Danni Sanders.

The character that truly stole the show for is Rowan Aldren (Mia Issac). Her character didn’t even feel like a character, she felt like a real human being. We need more Rowan Aldren’s in our lives. The scene where Danni watches one of her speeches on her computer got me teary-eyed.

Quinn Shephard’s direction and screenplay are so incredible. I hope she directs more films in the future.

The story is something that felt personal. It felt realistic to some degree. Many influencers in the industry are in it to become famous and rich and not to create a community. The inclusion of Danni getting famous off of a horrible tragedy is sadly something that sometimes occurs in real life. The irony is that many influencers don’t talk about horrible tragedies like the one portrayed in this film.

I was disappointed in Dylan O’Brien’s character. I knew he was going to be the way he is but he honestly felt like a pointless character towards the end. I’m not really sure how I feel about him.

The editing was so cool and unique. I loved the graphics and the cinematography felt modern yet artsy. 

I feel that this film is a necessity because many people don’t realize the positive and/or negative impact that social media has on our lives. Watching this film will make them realize that social media is no joke, especially the influencer industry.

Not Okay is exclusively streaming on Hulu.

Director: Quinn Shephard

Cast: Zoey Deutch, Mia Isaac, Dylan O’Brien, Nadia Alexander, Embeth Davidtz

Producers: Brad Weston, Negin Salmasi