Iām Fine is an eight-part series that originally debuted on streaming platform Dekkoo. Following the story of Nate (Perry Powell) and his friends, the series takes a look at what itās like to be gay in modern day America. Nate canāt get over his ex-boyfriend Joey (Shaughn Buchholz) despite having plenty of date offers and his best friend Jeff (Lee Doud) harbouring feelings for him. As he tries to move on with his life, Nate just canāt shake off the memories of his ex or the terrible way their relationship ended.
Written and directed by Brandon Kirby, Iām Fine is a smart, funny and heart-warming series. Comprising of 8 episodes, that run from 5 to 15 minutes in length, Iām Fine proves that sometimes in life less really is more. Kirby manages to cram each episode full of fantastic scenes, witty dialogue and strong performances from his cast. The charactersā sexuality is not the main focus of the series, which is really refreshing, instead offering the kind of look at life and romance as any other romantic comedy.
At the centre of it all is Perry Powell who is simply wonderful as Nate. Heās dorky in a very adorable way, relatable as a man who is trying to fumble through life the best way he can and endearing as he tries to move on with his life. His complete lack of awareness that Jeff is hankering after him is one of the hooks of the show until that secret comes out during a drunken exchange, which changes the dynamic between the characters in a believable way.
There are many laugh-out-loud moments over the course of the season. Perry reluctantly gives in to a persistent potential suitor he met on Grindr only to freak out once the two get intimate and he decides to clean himself up using the only available things he can find in the personās bathroom. That encounter leads to a humiliating conclusion witnessed by Perryās ex Joey.
One of my favourite episodes sees Nate and his friends in an Uber where they engage in a very hilarious and energised argument about the party theyāve all agreed to go to, but none of them want to attend, with a side-argument of politics about the US election. Itās the show at its strongest with the dialogue razor sharp and the chemistry between the cast on full display.
Lee Doud gives a fantastic performance as Jeff. He plays the best friend hiding a crush very well and by the end of the 8 episodes your heart breaks for him as he tries to deal with feelings and gets a response from Nate that heās not entirely expecting.
Iām Fine is a great series and my only complaint is that I want to know what happens next. I liked this group of characters and I quickly found myself caring about them. I loved that we got to see their flaws and that they were relatable characters. With Looking no longer on the air, we need a show like this and I hope thereās more to come.
[brid video=”172680″ player=”531″ title=”I’ Fine Official Trailer Dekkoo.com The premiere gay streaming service!”]
Cast: Perry Powell, Lee Doud, Shaughn Buchholz, Ulysses Morazan Director: Brandon Kirby Writer: Brandon Kirby Certificate: 12 Duration: 76 mins Released by: TLA Releasing Release date: 9th October 2017