I’m Fine (Thanks For Asking)

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

What would you sacrifice for the chance at a better life for you and your family? In a day for Danny (Kelley Kali), the answer becomes a choice that waffles on in her struggle to provide a better life for her and her daughter Wes (Wesley Moss). Kali’s I’m Fine (Thanks For Asking) focuses on that idea of what one is willing to do in order to provide for their family and the importance in “how” they achieve that very goal.

After the recent loss of her husband and their home Danny has taken Wes to the outskirts of town for a “camping trip,” not wanting to admit to her daughter that they are homeless. However, Danny has made it her mission to keep the homelessness a secret despite Wes’s many complaints over their current getaway by hustling on her mobile hairstyles on wheels (roller-skates, that is) business and food delivery job. Dropping Wes off at a babysitter’s house for the day, Danny goes to work in order to get the last bit of money she needs for a deposit on an apartment she has had her eye on. With the deadline for the deposit due that day to landlord Mr. Yu (Xing-Mai Deng) and Danny’s customer Nyla (Jackie Holmes) unable to pay for her services until next week, the struggle to come up with the remaining services becomes real and sends Danny into overdrive to recoup the financial shortfall. From foul food delivery customers to struggling to schedule another client, Danny is offered a potential option from barber and pawn shop owner Bobby (Ira Scipio): sell her late husband’s wedding ring and she will have enough to cover the deposit.

Kelley Kali takes us on a ride with the “good versus evil” narrative throughout I’m Fine (Thanks For Asking). Danny faces many moments of temptation throughout the film, especially when her friend Brooklynn’s (Brooklynn Marie) sugar daddy fiancé Chad (Deon Cole) approaches Danny on the steps of a local church. With a wad of Benjamins in his possession Chad unknowingly offers Danny the help she needs—for a price that she is not willing to pay. Danny does get other options of assistance throughout the day but those all fall through as they come with steep consequences, despite the security that they may provide. Ultimately, Danny learns to rely on herself and her own convictions to pull through the day—that and her trusty roller-skates to get her around throughout the day. And though Danny is no saint, her daughter Wes is the drive she needs to continue pushing towards her goal to give them all the luxuries they deserve, especially a home with a fan and a bed. This choice makes Danny realize that she may need to part with one of the last links to their past in order to secure a brighter future.

When you are willing to let go of what holds you back, the possibilities are endless. And though it may take some time to realize that, Danny finally understands the lesson of acceptance and release will provide the relief she desires. It’s okay to be hesitant to change, but we will all get there eventually.