Is Am I OK? Based on a True Story?

Max’s Am I OK? uncouples coming out from coming of age, showing that LQBTQIA+ journeys aren’t confined to specific chapters of life. While other films in the queer canon have explored similar topics, the true story of screenwriter Lauren Pomerantz adds a personal flavor to Am I OK?.

Am I OK? Tells the Semi-Autobiographical Story of Screenwriter Lauren Pomerantz

In Am I OK?, Pomerantz brings her comedic pedigree as a writer for series such as Saturday Night Live and The Ellen DeGeneres Show to her personal story of coming out later in life. Much like Johnson’s Lucy, the screenwriter navigated a tricky, internal minefield of coming out as a lesbian at age 32. At its core, Am I OK? is a rom-com about platonic friendship, exploring how Lucy’s queer awakening impacts her relationship with her best friend Jane, played by Sonoya Mizuno.

“I started writing [Am I OK?] when I was still very much closeted,” Pomerantz told Script in a walkthrough of the origins of her film, which was inspired by her friendship with producer Jessica Elbaum. Much like Pomerantz and Elbaum’s real friendship, Am I OK?‘s story evolved as the screenwriter began to embrace her sexuality. Pomerantz highlighted specific moments from the film — such as Lucy and Jane’s muffin mitigation — that were ripped directly from her friendship with Elbaum. This core dynamic is comparable to other sapphic films centered on platonic female friendships, like Life Partners and Almost Adults.

Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne Prove Fitting Directors for Am I OK?

While bad drivers and late-blooming lesbians alike may see themselves represented in Pomerantz’s story, those entrenched in the queer comedy scene might find Am I OK? reminiscent of an entirely different true story. Co-director Stephanie Allynne told New York Live that she related to the film’s script because she likewise came out later in life, through her relationship with Tig Notaro. Audiences have witnessed the intimate friendship-turned-romance between Allynne and Notaro unfold through the documentary Tig, Notaro’s semi-autobiographical series One Mississippi, and stand-up anecdotes. The scene in Am I OK? where Lucy seeks answers to her sexuality through an online quiz might have felt particularly familiar to One Mississippi fans as it brought to mind the amusing moment when Allynne tests her mettle against The L Word.

Am I OK? is grounded in Pomerantz’s friendships and experiences, and the spousal duo of Allynne and Notaro prove a kismet fit to bring such a story to life from behind the camera (though Notaro briefly appears on-screen as a hammock zealot).  Am I OK? additionally serves as Allynne and Notaro’s feature-length directorial debut outside the realm of stand-up comedy.