‘Am I OK?’ movie review: Dakota Johnson carries a delicate, awkward queer coming-of-age drama about friendship

The Dakota Johnson-led Am I OK?, like it’s protagonist, is a late-blooming film. It first premiered in 2022 at the Sundance Film Festival, but is only coming out to the audience now, over two years later. Set during the sunny days of Los Angeles, the film tells the story of Lucy (Dakota), who is slightly late to reconciling with her sexuality. Her understated journey of self-discovery is also underlined by her longtime friendship with Jane (Sonoya Mizuno), that appears to be disintegrating.

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As Lucy, Dakota Johnson brings to life the awkward overtones of the film, that hammer home the directing style of Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne. Lucy is clumsy when compared to her athletic best friend Jane, and admittedly shies away from venturing outside the comfort zone she has built for herself. But even within the cocoon of her moored life, marked by an otherwise monotonous job, as Jane points out: Lucy is not even comfortable within her comfort zone.

At the age of 32, when everyone around her is putting down roots, Lucy’s life lacks a defining dimension. She has never been in a relationship for longer than a few months, and the news of Jane moving to London with her boyfriend brings these feelings to the surface.

In one of the more standout moments from the film, she tearfully admits to Jane that she might be attracted to women, and despite having felt that way for some time, has not acted on it. Jane, while comforting her, says that this doesn’t come as a surprise to a person who has seen Lucy drive around in her Volvo. It is a scene laden with several emotions, and plays out quite early in the film.

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A comforting conversation with a friend, but also a heartbreaking reckoning for Lucy – the film is populated with such moments that have been directed with an understated hand, but carry the narrative magnitude of a late queer bloomer. Undeniably, the heft of the film is carried by its script, penned by Lauren Pomerantz based on her experiences. Pomerantz expands the canvass of the film to encompass a multitude of growing pains, and seamlessly blends Lucy’s coming-of-age with the maturing of her and Jane’s friendship.

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With supporting performances by Kiersey Clemons and Molly Gordon, the film eventually finds its heart in the chemistry between Dakota and Sonoya. Portraying polar opposite people, they manage to convey the years and years of history between them, and how they have watched each other grow. Later, when Lucy’s tendencies to avoid change clash with Jane’s insistence on getting her a girlfriend, some severe cracks appear in their friendship; Pomerantz’s skill in handling this rollercoaster of emotions is what carries the film home.

At a little under 90 minutes, Am I OK? ends upfeeling a lot like what it set out to portray: the winding, recurring thoughts about the future that burden the present, but are made lighter with the help of some trusted friends.

Am I OK? is available for streaming on JioCinema