Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
An ambitious young woman, desperate for followers and fame, fakes a trip to Paris to up her social media presence. When a terrifying incident takes place in the real world and becomes part of her imaginary trip, her white lie becomes a moral quandary that offers her all the attention she’s wanted.
Not Okay is a sharp-tongued social media satire with a committed lead performance from Zoey Deutch and a genuinely biting commentary on influencer culture and performative activism. The plot is functional and propulsive, leaning into its satirical premise effectively, though it follows a fairly predictable rise-and-fall arc. Deutch's performance elevates material that could have felt thin, and the supporting cast (particularly Mia Goth in a brief but memorable role) adds texture. Cinematographically, the film is competent but unremarkable — it leans on social media aesthetics (filters, phone screens) without doing anything visually distinctive. Novelty is moderate; while the cancel culture and influencer angle felt timely, the film joins a small but growing subgenre of social-media-critique films. The ending, which includes a direct fourth-wall-breaking address about the film's own protagonist being irredeemable, is a boldly uncomfortable choice that mostly pays off.