Sundance 2022: Am I OK? Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Films about male friendships have dominated the industry but what about the other gender? Am I OK? offers the other perspective albeit in a film that doesn’t stray all that much from the formula and merely puts a current spin on it. That being said, for what it did lack in originality, it did make up for in charm and heart thanks to a pair of great performances from Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno. The film is a grounded and empathetic depiction of female young adult friendship centered around self-discovery and coming out later in life is both hilarious and touching. While this kind of story is bound to resonate with certain audiences more than others, the dynamic between Johnson and Mizuno is still fun to watch because of their dynamite chemistry. Though it doesn’t bring anything new to the table, that alone and a short running time of under 90 minutes make it well worth the watch.

Am I OK? follows a pair of lifelong best friends named Lucy (Johnson) and Jane (Mizuno). That friendship was soon put to the test as life had them going in different directions, forcing Lucy to finally step out beyond the comfort of her relationship with Jane and truly figure out herself and what she wanted in life. Part of that was figuring out her sexuality, bringing forth some uncomfortable situations especially because she didn’t have Jane to lean to. Once inseparable, the fact that this may be coming to an end was certainly an adjustment period for each of them but nevertheless, they tried to make the best of whatever time together they had left as they did not want to leave each other on bad terms. Lucy and Jane’s respective journeys over the course of the film was full of wholesome moments that are sure to tap into a variety of emotions which is a testament to the sharp script.

Though Am I OK? may not bring anything new to the table in the end, where it does shine was in its execution of that formula and that began with aforementioned performances of Johnson and Mizuno as Lucy and Jane. Their chemistry led to a compelling dynamic to steer audiences through their journey. Johnson’s effortless charm and relatability made Lucy such a fun character to watch while Mizuno was a strong presence in her own right as Jane who was more of a supporting character. They were a blast to watch.

At the end of the day. Am I OK? is a solid comfort watch that doesn’t demand much therefore a nice change of pace.

*still courtesy of Sundance

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.