The combination of camping, rollerskating and Californian sunshine might seem like the promise of a happy, carefree day, but this is far from the case in I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking). Co-directed by Angelique Molina and Kelley Kali, who also plays the film’s protagonist, this soulful pandemic-set drama follows Danny, a recently widowed mum, as she fights to secure housing for herself and her eight-year-old daughter Wes (Wesley Moss).
Though the mother and daughter currently live in a tent, Danny has successfully shielded Wes from the reality of their situation by pretending that they’re only camping for the sake of adventure. Without a car to navigate the LA suburbs, she drops Wes off at a friend’s and scoots between her various gigs with just a pink bum bag to hold her cash and a pair of rollerskates (talk about being a go-getter).
But Danny’s efforts to secure the final $200 she needs to finally afford a flat for her and Wes fall apart when a series of mishaps means she isn’t paid for her scheduled odd jobs. She desperately needs help, but sidesteps her friends’ concerns about her life.
This is a refreshingly realistic story about resilience, familial love and adversity
I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking) doesn’t always make it easy to sympathise with Danny’s plight. She sometimes appears to forget the urgency of her situation, like when she abandons her mission to smoke a joint with a pal in a playground. And yet, it’s the way the film presents this dichotomy between languishing and hustling to survive in modern America that makes it stand out. We're all familiar with the song and dance of pretending everything’s fine when it’s not – and that sensation is captured perfectly here.
Oscillating between a tense struggle to stay afloat and youthful, cannabis-induced bliss, I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking) offers a refreshingly realistic and nuanced snapshot of resilience, familial love and adversity. Rather than an intrusive flashback to the most challenging aspects of the pandemic, it’s a gentle reminder to recognise the hardships we’ve overcome and appreciate the merit in nonlinear progress, even if it takes time.
In UK cinemas Mar 3
