Tig Notaro‘s highly anticipated feature-directing debut, Am I OK?, with co-director Stephanie Allynne
is a beautiful perspective of the intersection between love, friendship, and life—and the realistic complexities that come from commingling those intimacies.
Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno appear in AM I OK? by Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne, an official selection of the Premieres section at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by James Clark.
AM I OK? Movie Review – What Works
Lucy (Dakota Johnson) and Jane (Sonoya Mizuno) are the best of friends, the type who know each other so well they practically take up residence in each other’s heads. They know what the other will order for lunch and can finish one another’s sentences.
The movie starts out with rom-com/chick-flick vibes but goes so much deeper. Jane and Lucy go out to breakfast and Jane not only knows Lucy’s favorite order but knows what she is planning to order before she does. They discuss the fact that Lucy is going to go out again with her friend Ben. They are purely platonic and end their dates with a handshake, which Jane thinks is odd.
On her next evening with Ben, Ben leans in to try to kiss her—and Lucy basically launches herself off the bed with her beer in hand to avoid being kissed—Ben has no idea what’s going on, but she’s known for a while that she’s interested in women.
To the average heterosexual, the scene probably plays out like a very obvious set of mixed signals with romantic music, beers, and sitting on her bed—but Lucy doesn’t realize it. Defeated, Ben leaves, swapping their usual handshake for his beer.
Dakota Johnson as Lucy in Am I Ok? Photo: Courtesy Sundance Film Festival
“It’s complicated.”
The most understated Facebook status update of all time is apt for much of this film. Chaos ensues and their friendship is tested when Jane gets promoted—to London. Lucy confesses her deepest, secret to Jane: she like women.
This long-kept secret is one Lucy’s held for while; she’s known she likes women but is terrified by the realization. Generally, no one’s coming-out story is simple. Self-discovery is a journey, a process, and AM I OK? explores some of the complexities of that, especially when that journey starts later in life.
Navigating the unexpected in a heartfelt way
Self-discovery is challenging on a good day. The story of personal awakening and finding yourself in your 30s as told through AM I OK? is so relatable it hurts. Lucy’s coming of age later in life isn’t unexpected, but it’s certainly an oft unexplored angle—and it’s a welcome, nearly spot-on look at the vulnerability we have as women, as humans, that we often try to hide.
Johnson and Mizuno have palpable chemistry as Lucy and Jane in this scripted, poignant drama that feels like real life more often than it doesn’t.
Dakota Johnson is the new lesbian icon we all needed, and Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno are a natural, fluid pair in AM I OK?
Director Tig Notaro has been known for decades for her work both on the stage and in front of the camera, as well as her writing and directing, and this directorial debut leaves the audience yearning for more. Her co-writer (and wife) on the Amazon series “One Mississippi,” Stephanie Allynne, also co-directed this authentic and relatable story of becoming from a script by Lauren Pomerantz.
Sean Hayes offers his usually comedic spark in just the right places.
AM I OK? Movie Review – What Doesn’t Work
Can a film be too short? Lucy’s journey could have encompassed a little more, as it felt a bit rushed. Johnson is brilliant, and while a character’s full evolution can’t happen completely in 86 minutes—and certainly not in 100 minutes, either—perhaps a few scenes more of introspection or moments of Lucy working on realizing herself could have played well at flushing out the character arc.
AM I OK? Movie Review – Overall
Am I OK? was a highlight of Sundance 2022 and we’re looking forward to seeing more of Notaro’s work in the future, as well as continued stunning performances from Johnson.
About AM I OK?
Lucy and Jane are the best of friends. They finish each other’s sentences, predict every detail of each other’s food order, and pretty much know everything about each other. But when Jane is promoted at work and agrees to move to London for her new position, Lucy confesses her deepest, long-held secret: She likes women, she has for a long time, and she’s terrified by this later-in-life realization. Suddenly, their friendship is thrown into chaos as the two choose different routes by which to navigate the unexpected changes in their lives.
Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne’s directorial feature debut is an exceptionally sweet and charming love story about two adults working through the complexities of self-discovery and personal awakening. Anchored by endearing performances and the undeniable chemistry between Dakota Johnson as Lucy and Sonoya Mizuno as Jane, AM I OK? is a relatable, poignant, and often humorous look at the transformative power of human vulnerability.
About STEPHANIE ALLYNNE
Stephanie Allynne is a writer, producer, director, and performer. Her acting credits include The L Word: Generation Q, One Mississippi, Room 104, Dream Corp LLC, Love, Twin Peaks, In a World…, and People Places Things. Her writing credits include First Ladies and the acclaimed Amazon series One Mississippi.
About TIG NOTARO
Tig Notaro is an Emmy- and Grammy-nominated stand-up comedian, writer, radio contributor, and actor. Her credits include Army of the Dead and Star Trek: Discovery. She recently released her second HBO special, “Tig Notaro: Drawn.” She hosts the advice podcast “Don’t Ask Tig” and the documentary podcast “Tig and Cheryl: True Story.”
Runtime: 86 min
Directors: Stephanie Allynne, Tig Notaro
Screenwriter: Lauren Pomerantz
Producer: Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Erik Feig, Dakota Johnson, Ro Donnelly, Lauren Pomerantz, Lucy Kitada, Stephanie Allynne, Tig Notaro
Executive Producer: Shayne Fiske Goldner, Royce Reeves-Darby, Alex Brown
Director of Photography: Cristina Dunlap
Music: Craig Wedren, Annie Clark
Music Supervisor: Randall
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler, Kiersey Clemons, Molly Gordon, Sean Hayes
AM I OK? premiered at Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2022.
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