People You May Know

If you’re not on social media, do you even exist? Like a chicken-egg riddle for the modern era, such is the dilemma facing 30-something introvert Jed (Nick Thune), whose total absence from the digital landscape leaves him socially marooned. That is, until he discovers he can use his wizard-like Photoshop skills to present his life in any way imaginable. When Tasha (Halston Sage) sees an opportunity to exploit her vision of cultivating a celebrity out of a nobody, she helps pimp out Jed’s life via multiple online platforms, and before long, he emerges from his cocoon as a high-profile social butterfly. But after Jed unexpectedly crosses paths with his high-school crush Franky (Kaily Smith Westbrook), dormant affections reawaken, and Jed must find a way to reconcile his unvarnished self with the slick facade his online persona reflects. With playful intimacy and deft insight, first-time director Sherwin Shilati plays with the ways social relevance and self-validation are measured in the digital age, and whether we can ever truly know each other when we so often disguise our authentic selves. Against a sparkling New York City backdrop, People You May Know boasts an effervescent cast, including Carly Chaikin (Mr. Robot), a scene-stealing Usher Raymond IV, and standup comedian Thune in a breakout performance. —Jesse Knight