Olivia Cavallaro Culture 07.29.2022 09:Jul AM EDT

'Not Okay' Premieres on Hulu, Showcases Satirical Exploration of Social Media Influencers

The satirical black comedy film stars Zoey Deutch and Dylan O'Brien.

The highly-anticipated dark comedy "Not Okay" has finally arrived on Hulu and viewers will finally get to see how Danni, played by Zoey Deutch of Netflix's "Set It Up" and "The Politician" will get untangle herself from an IRL mess she made on the 'Gram. The film is written and directed by Quinn Shephard, whose 2017 film debut "Blame" earned critical attention in several film festivals.

Hulu's "Not Okay" follows Danni, a graphic artist and aspiring writer who is desperately seeking attention - from her boss who would not give her pages the light of day, to her chic co-workers, and her Insta-famous crush, Colin, played by Dylan O'Brien of the "Teen Wolf" fame. Danni then puts her graphic skills to use by creating a fake life on Instagram, claiming to have traveled to Paris, where a sudden terrorist attack occurs.

The timing could not be more perfect, as Danni is then forced to pose as a survivor of the deadly Paris attack. Upon returning home to the US, the newly minted Instagram influencer becomes even more famous and she gets more than what she bargained for.

Satirical Film as a Commentary on Social Media

Hulu's "Not Okay" is Shephard's sophomore feature that was inspired by the "echo chamber of anxiety" on how people use the Internet today, the writer and director explained to Variety. The 27 year old recalled how she would go online and read about "horrific acts of violence" and then seeing ads for skincare and the like.

Shephard remarked that the satirical film sheds light on how people have "learned to digest the horrors of our culture and then just distract ourselves."

'Not Okay' Showcases Characters That Reflect People IRL

As the film explores social media, its influencers, and how it impacts normal people's lives, it also made sure to visually convey a story through costumes and production design. Shephard shared that Danni's aesthetic in the film was a mixed bag of different styles and Internet trends and microtrends without "having any real sense of style herself."

As for O'Brien's Colin, he looks and acts the part of the Instagram-famous influencer who is recognized on the streets and is lauded for being cool online and IRL. It is one lie that Danni blurts out to Colin that starts the entire fiasco of having to pose as a survivor of a terrorist attack.

In order to transform into Colin, O'Brien had to cut his longer locks and color his hair a bleach blonde shade and wear some false tattoos to embody the weed-smoking creative who works in the same publication as Danni, aptly called Depravity. Shephard described it as "the scum bro aesthetic," Newsweek reported.

The "Not Okay" director admitted she drew inspiration from the likes of Machine Gun Kelly, Justin Bieber, and Pete Davidson for the "f***boy" transformation she had in mind for O'Brien. She described the character as "the most heightened" and "kind of campy" one in the film. The actor, of course, was completely on board.

It remains to be seen if either Colin or Danni are redeemable, but the teaser for Hulu's "Not Okay" issued a fair warning: "This film contains an unlikeable female protagonist. Viewer discretion advised."