Not Okay: Cinema in the times of influencers

Nowadays, influencers are the aspirational of young people: they are famous, are invited to events, brands give them things, their livelihood is publishing on social networks, etc. Being famous seems easier than ever, with social networks it seems that we are all one viral video away from becoming famous like Mr. Beast, Khaby or Charli D’amelio, but clearly not all of us will make it.

As Tyler Durden explained in Fight Club, Generation X grew up thinking they would be rock stars, millionaires or movie icons due to advertising culture, but when they became average adults they felt dissatisfied with their lives. And this same thing is happening now to Generation Z as they grow up and realize that they will not be internet famous, like the protagonist of “Not Okay”(2022).

"Not Okay" follows Danni Sanders (Zoey Deutch), an aspiring writer who seeks to belong to the popular group of her work, so she invents that was invited to a writing conference in Paris. But after an terrorist attack occurs there, she must decide whether to reveal her lie or take advantage of the situation to gain exposure, and she chooses the second one.

The world of influencers is no stranger to lies, pretending to be on a private jet that turns out to be fake or taking photos with other people's luxury cars are common practices on the networks. And some go further, inventing trips like the protagonist of the film or saying that they work for companies that don't even know them (like the Colombian woman who said she worked for Ghibli).

Danni's lie works, and the magazine where she works gives her the opportunity to write an article about her experience. But not knowing what to say, he comes up with the idea of ​​going to "seek inspiration" at a support group for victims of attacks. It is at this moment when as viewers we begin to "abandon their side" even though we can understand and empathize with their motivations.

Finally, thanks to her article going completely viral, Danni achieves the life she wanted. But the end justifies the means? Was this life she aspired to as good as it seemed?

The film, in addition to criticizing influencers, has comments on two other great evils of social networks (and life in general): political extremism and cancel culture. The first showing how insensitive conservative people can be and how hypocritical those on the left can be. And the other through the cancellation that Danni suffers (This is not a spoiler, the movie is one of those that starts with the protagonist saying "Yep that's me, you're probably wonder how I ended up in this situation").

Clearly there are people who are canceled for a just reason and we shouldn't feel too sorry, but it is very common nowadays for people who committed a lesser evil to suffer a disproportionate punishment. Obviously Danni's actions are morally reprehensible, but she is far from deserving to be attacked with all the power of the internet.

And how to ensure that the reflections that the film seeks to generate reach its main target audience? For this the director made a smart move, hiring actor Dylan O'Brien, who is very loved by Gen Z due to his roles in "Teen Wolf" and “Maze Runner”. Dylan plays the protagonist's love interest, an influencer inspired by Machine Gun Kelly, Justin Bieber and Pete Davison with they 'scum bro aestethic'.

So if you are looking for a good black humor movie or to reflect on current issues, I recommend that you give “Not Okay” a chance.