Hulu released a new movie titled “Not Okay.” Although I originally watched it for Dylan O’Brien, the movie did have some great takeaways that are incredibly relevant to today’s social media age. Also, as a warning, this contains spoilers!
The film follows Danni Sanders, who, as Hulu humorously describes in a content warning, is an “unlikeable female protagonist.”
In the beginning, we can see how she is a loner; she doesn’t have many friends and is not liked by her coworkers. Danni does not have any real romantic prospects but has a crush on this social media influencer named Colin. This crush leads her to make some bold claims, for instance, saying that she is traveling to Paris.
This is initially somewhat innocent, as she posts photoshopped images of herself in front of tourist attractions around Paris. But things take a turn when there is a terrorist attack in Paris, where Danni is supposed to be.
Danni, at first, is ready to take responsibility, admitting that she was not really in Paris; until Danni’s aforementioned crush, Collin hits her up to make sure she is okay. Suddenly, she starts acting like a victim to not only Collin but to everyone; her family and coworkers. Everyone smothers Danni with sympathy as she just went through this traumatic, life-changing event (or did she).
With this newfound attention and likeability, Danni leaned more into the victim mentality, even attending a support group for people who have experienced mass traumatic events. This, to me, was Danni’s point of no return. While at the support group, she met a young girl, Rowan, who had lost her sister due to gun violence. At first, Danni was not interested in conversing with her, but when she later found out that she had a following on social media, she immediately went to befriend her.
Eventually, Danni’s lies become exposed. It resulted in her being canceled. Social media had random strangers talking about Danni having no regard for her feelings, and highlighting the toxic nature of cancel culture.
Overall, I think the movie does a good job of portraying the internet/ social media culture. Zoey Deutch, who plays Danni, does a fantastic job of portraying Danni’s entitlement, which can be seen with social media influencers. Danni exemplifies her voice while muting others who have been through traumatic events. Not to mention, she’s done the most for clout and popularity. Her lying about being in Paris during the attacks to being friends with Rowan for clout shows this social media phenomenon where people are only interested in being friends with people for their continued popularity. In the end, Danni did not have a redemption arc; she was forced to face the consequences of her actions.