Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne make their directorial debut at Sundance with Am I OK?, written by Lauren Pomerantz. Dakota Johnson stars as Lucy, a 32-year-old woman coming to terms with her attraction to women. Her close friend Jane, played by Sonoya Mizuno, is preparing to move abroad for work.
The film focuses on Lucy’s self-discovery in realizing her sexuality later in life, navigating new feelings that many face as adolescents. Meanwhile, Jane’s impending move forces both friends to reexamine their relationships and identities and how they rely on each other. Their friendship experiences unexpected challenges as Lucy undergoes an emotional journey of expression and acceptance.
The directors handle Lucy’s coming-out experience with sensitivity while exploring how changes in one woman’s life can impact their relationship dynamic after bonding for so many years. Overall, ‘Am I OK?’ provides a heartfelt depiction of navigating sexuality and dependency within a cherished friendship.
Discovering Yourself While Growing Apart from a Friend
Lucy has known Jane for most of her life, and the two are practically inseparable. That has started to change, however, as Jane has accepted a new job across the ocean in London. On top of dealing with the impending distance from her best friend, Lucy finds herself realizing an important part of who she is.
While out for drinks together, Jane blurts out the news of her job offer and upcoming move. The alcohol gives Lucy some liquid courage, prompting her to open up about recently discovering an attraction to women. This confession shakes Lucy, who feels silly for not figuring herself out sooner. Thankfully, Jane is fully supportive of Lucy on her journey of self-discovery.
As Lucy spends more time with Brittany, a friendly masseuse from the spa where she works, there are hints that this new connection could evolve into something more. Brittany’s casual flirtations leave Lucy confused but interested in exploring this new side of herself. However, she continues to grapple with doubts and uncertainty.
Meanwhile, Jane has concerns of her own. She throws herself into helping Lucy dive fully into her new identity, maybe to avoid dealing with emotions around leaving Los Angeles, the only home she’s known since moving as a teenager. Jane’s eagerness to control Lucy’s path comes from a place of love, yet it also strains their relationship.
With both experiencing significant life changes, this is a pivotal time for Lucy and Jane’s friendship. They will need to figure out how to grow while supporting each other, even when they are thousands of miles apart. Their bond remains central to who they are, but allowing themselves and their relationship to evolve will test the depth of their lifelong connection.
Directing with Care
Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne bring a caring touch to ‘Am I OK?’ as first-time directors. They ensure this story of self-discovery and friendship-changing avoids simple endings to feel grounded in reality’s complexities. Bringing their own relationship to the roles, they understand how love and understanding can brighten hard times, yet relationships still evolve.
Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno give beautifully natural performances. As lifelong friends, Lucy and Jane share an ease with each other, but you feel the depth underneath. Johnson makes Lucy’s shy nature and difficulty with change entirely relatable. In smaller moments, her expression speaks volumes, yet she is never without humor. Mizuno matches her, imbuing Jane with passion and spirit yet also emerging vulnerabilities as her own change approaches.
You believe in their friendship because of the sincerity these two convey in both laugh-out-loud funny times and grounded, more serious discussions. Whether debating Jane’s big move or negotiating new aspects of Lucy’s identity, they treat each other—and help us treat their relationship—with care, respect, and compassion. This makes their occasional rocky moments all the more meaningful, a glimpse of the realities that even strong bonds face.
Kiersey Clemons lends a quiet yet stirring strength to Brittany, capturing the confusion and intrigue many feel when trying new paths. Conversations between Lucy and Brittany feel authentic as they navigate unfamiliar territory and each other. Other supporting players like Molly Gordon and Sean Hayes bring fun energy while respecting the sensitivity at the story’s heart.
With respect and care for their characters as people, Notaro and Allynne’s direction and these performances build a world where sexuality, change, and emotional honesty need not divide but rather can bring people together by opening minds and hearts. ‘Am I OK?’ shines in showing that understanding and acceptance strengthen both relationships and individuals.
True Friendship Through Change
Lucy and Jane’s story is a reminder that even relationships deeply woven into our lives will evolve as we discover more about ourselves. Their bond faced new challenges when Lucy began exploring feelings long kept private and Jane received an opportunity to pull her farther from home.
Rather than following typical coming-out narratives building to an expected climax, ‘Am I OK?’ takes a grounded approach. Lucy’s changing understanding of her sexuality emerges gradually through everyday moments rather than sudden revelations. And her confession to Jane, while emotional, is just one of ongoing conversations as both women adjust to new insights. Their friendship is tested not by dramatic rejection but by inevitable growing pains as two intertwined lives branch in separate directions.
‘Am I OK?’ resists framing sexuality as the central defining feature of its characters. Lucy’s attraction to women is just one part of a multidimensional person finding comfort in life. And Jane’s support focuses on seeing Lucy fully rather than pushing any specific identity. Their discussions feel realistic in addressing awkward practical questions alongside emotional ones.
Through a compassionate and funny portrayal of an evolving friendship, the film reminds us that human bonds are strengthened not by resisting change but by supporting one another through it with empathy, honesty, and care. Even relationships that stand the longest test of time will be reshaped as our understanding of ourselves and what we want from life transforms. ‘Am I OK?’ captures the bittersweet beauty in both comforting familiarity and new ground trodden between true friends.
Lucy And Jane’s Journey
Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne’s ‘Am I OK?’ embraces a down-to-earth style that feels authentic. The dialogue between Lucy and Jane flows so naturally that you half expect to overhear bits of their conversation. Through teasing and honest talks, they’ve shared life’s ups and downs for years, and it shows.
Their close bond is at the heart of the film. While both face personal changes, it’s how they support each other that matters most. Jane is always eager to propel Lucy from her shell, helping strengthen her confidence to find happiness. And Lucy accepts Jane as she is without judgment, bringing joy and comfort in tough times.
Connections like theirs are what make life rich. Even when frustrations rise or distance threatens to pull them apart, their care for one another prevails. ‘Am I OK?’ reminds us that friendship’s meaning transcends any circumstance when built on sincerity and understanding.
Lucy’s journey to discovering her identity unfolds realistically, with moments both humorous and vulnerable. Dakota Johnson breathes a sweet spirit into Lucy, from shy smiles to tears of relief. And the soundtrack enriches key scenes, like Priscilla Ahn’s melancholy cover perfectly accenting a poignant talk.
Overall, the filmmakers craft a world viewers can feel part of. Clean cinematography captures the gorgeous California light. While editing maintains a casual pace, reflecting Lucy and Jane’s natural ebb and flow. Together, these elements make ‘Am I OK?’ a warm story to cherish about the unending comfort of a cherished friend.
Through Different Eyes
‘Am I OK?’ tells a heartfelt story of self-discovery and the evolving bonds between friends. Directed by Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne, the film follows Lucy and Jane as they each embark on personal journeys of growth.
Longtime friends since childhood, Lucy and Jane have always been intensely close. However, changes are coming that will test their relationship. Jane receives an opportunity to move abroad, which pulls her in a new direction. Meanwhile, Lucy begins acknowledging feelings she’s repressed for years. In her early thirties, she starts exploring who she truly is and what she wants through a budding connection with a coworker.
Notaro and Allynne guide the story with sensitivity. They create nuanced, complicated characters that are easy to relate to despite their flaws. Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno shine as Lucy and Jane, crafting a believable dynamic between them. Their history and bond feel authentic, and the and the evolution they experience resonates because of this.
While comedy provides welcome levity, narrative doesn’t always sustain humorous beats. Some supporting roles, like Jane’s coworker, feel thinly sketched. However, focus remains on Lucy and Jane’s journey, never losing sight of what’s most meaningful. Transformation comes through overcoming difficulty together, which the finale acknowledges beautifully in resolving their relationship through different eyes.
Audiences at Sundance responded strongly, seeing the slice-of-life drama and importance of its message. ‘Am I OK?’ breaks conventions just enough, leaving an impact through empathy and hope and two friends embracing what’s to come. Though change comes, connection proves resilient when embraced, not feared.
Final Thoughts
The intimacy of Am I OK offers insight into journeys of self-discovery later in life. With empathy and care, it portrays Lucy’s realizations and first relationships. Never preachy, the film normalizes sexuality as simply another part of humanity.
Lucy’s hesitance feels poignant. Untangling oneself after years can be difficult. Yet what could have been awkward instead feels peaceful. Her awakening, like any, deserves compassion. Brittany brings joy in small moments of understanding, normalizing attraction. Their connection feels hopeful, not climactic.
Lucy and Jane’s bond, tested by change, conveys life’s mix of endings and beginnings. Fifteen years form roots, but people evolve. Their friendship, enduring despite growing apart, reminds us that love’s true measure isn’t avoiding hurt but facing it together. Even dissent serves to grow closer by insisting each value herself.
Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno immerse viewers in their charisma. Their performances leave reflections to linger, as all fine films do, on life’s journeys and the people that see us there. Am I OK offers quiet insight to stay with long after closing credits, a reminder that love and identity finding prosper through honest and honest discussion between all people.
The Review
Am I OK?
‘Am I OK?’ offers a warm, humane portrait of sexuality's quiet discovery and friendship's gentle endurance through change. Anchored by sharply authentic performances, it brings nuanced understanding to lives' journeys through empathy, humor, and heart.
PROS
- Sensitive, realistic portrayal of the late-life coming-out experience
- A heartfelt examination of lifelong female friendship
- Excellent central performances by Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno
- Humor balances heavier topics well.
- An authentic, grounded tone avoids melodrama.
CONS
- Some supporting characters feel caricatured.
- The plot focuses more heavily on one friend's arc.
- Comes to a somewhat predictable resolution.
