After the success of ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘End of the F**king World’, Netflix brings another coming of age show. ‘I Am Not Okay With This’ was released this month and became an instant hit.
Based on the comics of the same name, ‘I Am Not Okay With This’ is a comedy-drama
Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, this is the second show on Netflix which is based on Charles Forsman’s comics. Previously, ‘End of the F**king World’ was also directed by the same director. Published by Fantagraphics Books, ‘I Am Not Okay With This’ comic was released in 2017. Last year, Netflix announced to produce the show and kept their word. The cast of the show includes Sophia Lillis, Wyatt Oleff, Sofia Bryant and Richard Ellis.
Revolving around a seventeen-year-old girl, this show is about an angsty teen with a twist
On the surface, Sydney Novak is just a sad teen who is trying to deal with her dad’s suicide. With the help of her best friend, Dina, she is adjusting to the new town. Her neighbor, Stanley, has suddenly started showing interest in her. While she may not see eye to eye with her mom, Sydney is always there to take care of her younger brother. When Dina starts dating the jock, Brad, Sydney feels some strong emotions and something little extra. Suddenly, her feelings for Dina start changing and she gets jealous of Brad. She realizes that her anger can cause a nosebleed, create cracks in walls and simply destroy a forest.
While it’s a great show, some things were lacking
Not only is the chemistry between the characters amazing, but their acting is also extremely convincing. Sophia Lillis portrays her character’s anxiety, anger, and confusion with perfection. Her relationship dynamics with Dina and Stanley change with such fluidity. Similarly, her suppressed grief and confusion about her dad’s death are also very compelling. Having said that, there were some things that felt a bit rushed. Maybe because the show consists of just seven half-hour episodes, it felt that we started to follow Sydney’s journey from the middle instead of the beginning. Similarly, I felt that her relationship with Dina could have been explored a bit more. Also, sometimes it felt that Sydney and her mom were unnecessarily unkind to each other. Wyatt Oleff’s character Stanley is refreshing and interesting. Therefore, he should have been explored in more depth.
As the first season of ‘I Am Not Okay With This’ has ended on a shocking turn, the second season would be far more interesting. I would give it 3 stars out of 5.
