In Pardeep Sahota’s short film, OK/NOT OK, Loretta is a working-class British Asian woman struggling to keep her life together in a near-future world that feels unstable and overwhelming. Outside her apartment are the sounds of violence and hopelessness. She shares a cramped flat with her boyfriend, but their relationship shows cracks as money troubles and constant anxiety weigh on her. As time passes, we see quick moments of love, friendship, and intimacy, like playing chess or tennis on a video game. Her boyfriend is a constant source of optimism and sympathy, but as the violence around her intensifies, his words fall hollow. He becomes more distant from Loretta, but not for reasons you think.
OK/NOT OK is like an episode of The Twilight Zone. What’s happening on screen is not exactly what you think. Director Pardeep Sahota frames OK/NOT OK with a surreal, near-future realism that highlights both personal and social tension. Through Loretta’s story, he explores themes of tolerance, identity, and resilience, with humor and unease to reflect the pressures of navigating love and survival in an unstable world.
“…we see quick moments of love, friendship, and intimacy, like playing chess or tennis on a video game.”
For me, Sahota is commenting on the changing world around us and how Loretta chooses to cope with the social anxiety we’re all feeling, and how we’ve placed ourselves in literal boxes, creating a self-imposed state of loneliness. We all feel we’re moving in that direction, but is that the best way to live?
As a film, OK/NOT OK makes great use of its single location and locked camera. Sahota’s use of lighting and color brilliantly accents its story, and Bairavi Manoharan’s performance is the icing on the cake, hitting every emotional point beautifully.
"…What’s happening on screen is not exactly what you think."
