Two films that are well-executed social studies, and play as comedies. One takes on the gay world, while the second pokes fun at the world of social media and influencers.

Fire Island (Hulu, Video on Demand) - From the opening scenes, if you didn’t know better, you’d think the action on film was happening some thirty years ago and we’re in some time warp. It’s a gay rom-com, and it smartly plays it old school, so that it could be that rarity, a mainstream gay rom-com. Written by and starring Asian-American comedian Joel Kim Booster, you’ll be charmed by the ensemble cast. And I wasn’t joking when I said old world, as it’s immediately evident that this is Joel’s take on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Joel plays Noah, and he’s just one of a group of five friends who make their annual boat ride to Fire Island one of the big happenings of their summer. There, they stay at the home of their dear Asian-American lesbian friend.

The action and romance proceeds pretty much as one would expect, but that doesn’t detract from the pleasure we get, as the cast lives up to the promise, and we’re soon caught in the social milieu that is Fire Island and how in this gay heaven, there are deep social stratifications - especially between the have’s and have-nots, and how the gay WASP’s also lord it over the island scene and act all superior. That three of the main cast are Asian-Americans is an indication of just how ‘woke’ this film is attempting to be, and so we forget the time warp aspect and appreciate how this is a film about today. Sure, there are some risqué scenes, but they are done tastefully, and the story revolves around real people and problems, who just happen to be gay.

Not Okay (Hulu, Video on Demand) - If you want to watch a smart, cutting satire about our present world of social media and it’s influencers, this is the movie to catch. Written and directed by actress Quinn Shephard, and starring Zoey Deutsch as Danni, the photo editor at Depravity, and a wannabe influencer; the film slyly blends humor with knife-sharp social commentary. And to it’s eternal credit, knows how to provide a final act that doesn’t sugarcoat all that’s come before, and gifts us with an ending that is truly satisfactory, even if it doesn’t confirm to Hollywood expectations. It may kick off as a hip, droll social comedy about Millennials in the work space and on social media, but it elevates to offer serious food for thought and reflection.

Zoey is ideally cast, giving us the right mix of sassy vulnerability and insecurity and how desperately, she wants to belong. If there is a scene stealer in the film, I’d give it to Dylan O’Brien as Colin, a self-absorbed influencer who also works at Depravity and is benign obnoxiousness personified. Mia Isaac as African-American Rowan is the sincere and earnest young survivor of a school shooting; and who lost her sister during the tragic incident. The film moves at a quick pace, and it’s an easy watch; so that it’s only as the final act unravels, do you realize how slyly the director has injected levity into the whole exercise. Again, I have to commend the film on how it brings the story to a close, and doesn’t resort to a deus ex machina device, or a false happy resolution.