This satire on superficiality and social media fame is driven by great performances and some sharp commentary. Not Okay is broken into nine "parts," which track the main character's "arc" from nobody to famous (fake) victim to villain. Danni's total cluelessness about what it means to actually be victimized, traumatized, or even "a good person" is framed as "White privilege," but this film is more of a commentary on the zeitgeist of our times. This is also all embodied in the character of Colin, Instagram-famous for an entirely fictional, gangster-like persona ("Colin, you're from Maine," a colleague reminds him, deadpan), but seemingly devoid of any actual principles or convictions.
Despite the satirical tone and bubbly look, there's some very serious commentary about the inability to curb mass shootings, the toxicity of the online world, and how this all impacts the most vulnerable in our society. This is reflected most acutely in the character of Rowan, a fragile young woman who transforms her trauma into art. Isaac is a discovery in this role, giving forceful spoken word performances, including one that ends the film on a solemn note. Deutch is funny as the clueless perpetrator who thinks "tone deaf" is a brand, but the actress captures how she's ultimately a victim too -- someone raised in a virtual reality that prioritizes celebrity over substance, image over action, and clicks over facts.
Read the full review on Common Sense Media.
Images courtesy of Hulu.