After binge-watching my way through Black Mirror a while back, there were definitely several episodes where I thought the concept would work exceptionally well in a longer format, either as a movie or a television series. One episode that particularly stood out was Nosedive, which explored the idea of an unavoidable social rating system that determines what you can and cannot do within the confines of society. Apparently, that episode may have stood out to others as well. Enter John Fortson’s Rated, which just made its debut at the Austin Film Festival and is currently seeking distribution. The film is a family affair for the Fortsons, and if that name sounds familiar, you may be a fan of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., which starred a young Abby Ryder Fortson in a stunning performance. Unfortunately, that film did not manifest itself at the Oscars, and performances from younger actors are rarely taken seriously. Despite delivering one of the best performances of that year, Fortson never really broke into the Best Actress conversation, or much of the awards conversation at all, with younger performers often relegated to age-specific categories that essentially quarantine them from competing against adults.

Here, the Fortson family explores a very obvious rating system, one that labels people so that their ratings are visible to the world, essentially forcing them to wear a modern-day scarlet letter. We focus on a suburban family consisting of a mother, father, and their two children. Pretty early on, the mother realizes that her rating has dropped below the rest of her family, creating a considerable amount of conflict. While she wants to have conversations about what that means, whether any of this really matters, and how stupid it is for her to be defined by a numerical rating, the world continues to define her by that very number. It becomes increasingly difficult for her to go places and do things, eventually leading to an apology tour with her teenage daughter, played by Abby Ryder Fortson, in an attempt to convince people to reconsider their ratings and bump her score back up enough for her to function in society. We all have bad days. We all react poorly to things. Unfortunately, she seems to be permanently defined by those moments, and the stress only compounds the problem, making every subsequent interaction increasingly tense. Instead of improving her rating, she manages to make things worse, eventually leading to a third act that explores the ramifications of having a rating so low that society seemingly demands your exclusion. Her husband is considerably more affable, while her daughter reminds her that she already deals with being judged on a constant basis simply because she’s in high school. The son is not present in nearly as many scenes, and Dale Dickey eventually shows up in the third act, which is a delight because I love Dale Dickey. However, I would have chosen a different role for her, or at least written her character differently, because her involvement feels a little on the nose for anybody familiar with Black Mirror.

Being that this is a film still seeking distribution, the screener did not have audio description available. You would think that would be a major obstacle to my enjoyment of a movie that relies so heavily on a visual concept, with ratings appearing above people’s heads, but I actually quite liked it. That says a lot about the way the script moves, its reliance upon dialogue, and the quality of the acting. Without being able to see the ratings of everyone, not just the central family but also the people they interact with, you might expect me to be completely lost. However, the film is not really about everyone else’s ratings. It’s about one person’s rating and a system that is fundamentally asinine. It’s about following her journey as she tries to navigate a society that has decided her worth can be reduced to a number. It could also be about someone coming to terms with the fact that perhaps they could lighten up a bit as a human being, but it’s difficult to engage in that kind of self-reflection when you already feel like you’re drowning. The system seems specifically designed to keep people underwater, offering very few opportunities for those with lower ratings to learn from their mistakes and climb back up. Unfortunately, because I don’t want to spoil a movie that hasn’t even secured a release date, I can’t really discuss the third act in detail. That’s where most of my problems arise, with certain choices Fortson makes that I believe should have gone in a different direction, either to make more sense within the established world, subvert expectations, or more fully embrace the concept itself.

When I was presented with the opportunity to screen Rated in advance, the obvious draw for me was Abby Ryder Fortson. I was interested in seeing what she would do following Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., which was one of my favorite films of its year. The other draw was Dale Dickey, who delivered one of my favorite performances a few years ago in A Love Song and is currently enjoying some overdue recognition thanks to Widow’s Bay. I feel like Dickey has been underrated for most of her career, so I was hoping for a meatier role now that more people are finally paying attention to her. Unfortunately, this is not that role. There’s some disappointment simply in the amount of screen time she’s given, and I would have liked to see her utilized differently. However, the film benefits tremendously from the fact that its central family unit is actually a family. Their chemistry feels incredibly lived in because it is. John Fortson not only directs the film but also plays the father, opposite his real-life wife, who leads the film, and their actual daughter. That natural rapport goes a long way toward making the relationships believable, particularly when the characters find themselves increasingly at odds with one another.

I’ve seen films throughout the year that were clearly constructed around one or two recognizable stars, while the rest of the cast feels like somebody opened the front door, asked who wanted to be in a movie, and grabbed the first few people who showed up without bothering with acting classes or feedback on their line readings. So I was a little nervous going into Rated, because I had no idea whether the rest of Abby Ryder Fortson’s family was anywhere near as talented as she is. Turns out, they are. That apple clearly didn’t fall far from the tree. It was a pleasant surprise, because this could have gone in so many different directions. It could have been a complete mess, with nothing particularly interesting to say, fueled by a delusional sense of grandeur from a family convinced that their collective on-screen talents were greater than they actually were. Instead, they have managed to create a pretty smart, memorable dark comedy that understands its concept and, for the most part, knows exactly what to do with it. The family dynamic gives the film a grounded quality that separates it from the more aggressively dystopian approach Black Mirror took with a similar premise.

At its core, Rated is about how society has become increasingly obsessed with ratings and seeking the approval of others. As a lower-tier film critic and content creator, I wholeheartedly felt seen by this movie, although I’m sure those working in the gig economy will feel it even more. There’s something profoundly ridiculous about constantly chasing likes, subscribers, followers, reviews, and ratings, as though ordinary people now need to be continuously rewarded with public approval simply to survive. It increasingly feels like we’re living in a science fiction dystopia, except nobody bothered to tell us when we crossed over into it. Rated captures that anxiety without necessarily taking the same dark path as Black Mirror. Instead, it approaches the concept from a more sensible, suburban perspective. What would this actually look like for an average working family? What happens when one member of that household starts slipping, and suddenly the entire family has to deal with the consequences? How much of your identity is tied to what other people think of you, and how much of your life are you willing to sacrifice in an attempt to change their minds? These are interesting questions, and the film finds plenty of humor in exploring them, even when the circumstances become increasingly uncomfortable.

With any luck, Rated will find a distributor capable of giving it a notable release, rather than simply landing with a company that can dump it onto PVOD platforms before it eventually finds its way to Tubi. It deserves at least the opportunity to become one of those independent films that grows through word of mouth, rather than something audiences scroll past on a streaming service without ever knowing what it is. Rated was a pleasant surprise, and although the third act doesn’t entirely work for me, the performances, the sharp social commentary, and the natural chemistry of the real-life Fortson family make this a worthwhile experience. It takes a concept that could easily have felt like a cheap imitation of Black Mirror and finds enough of its own personality to justify its existence. It also serves as a reminder that Abby Ryder Fortson’s talent didn’t emerge from nowhere. Apparently, there’s quite a bit of it in the family. Check this one out if it ever comes your way.

Fresh: 8.1/10