‘I Am Not Okay With This” is a Netflix Original that came out on Feb. 26, 2020. It follows the life of Sydney Novak, a 17-year-old girl faced with having to learn to cope with the new complexities of her life, and a hard life at that.
Still dealing with the tragic loss of her father to suicide, Sydney has a lot on her plate. From an unfortunately timed move to the small town of Brownsville, Pennsylvania, to her newly encountered love-life, she’s filled with new and intense emotions. To top it all off, she makes a dreadful realization that she has telekinetic powers, but she isn’t in control of them: her emotions are.
From the get-go, this show is much more vulnerable and real in comparison to some of Netflix’s other teen dramas, such as “Ginny and Georgia” or “The Kissing Booth.” Sometimes it feels as though I’m watching my own life being televised right in front of me. Sydney goes through your average high school teenager-esque issues: zits, self-discovery, a strained relationship with her mother—the list goes on. The show is very unapologetic about portraying these issues, creating the perfect mix of fantasy and reality.
As I’ve stated, one of the shows main strengths is its relatability; though this may seem like an outlandish statement, considering that the main plot-point is a character with telekinetic abilities. Even the supernatural part of it stands as a great metaphor for the struggles of growing up, and all the uncertainties that follow behind.
I think the best representation of these uncertainties is what Stanley Barber, Sydney’s close friend and self-appointed mentor, tells her in a feeble attempt to make her angry: “Do you wanna know the scary thing? You’re never gonna figure this out. You’ll never know what the hell’s going on inside you, or what the hell’s wrong with you.” Because for most, this is what growing up feels like – not knowing what is going on, what is going to happen, or how to deal with it; Sydney and her powers are a perfect portrayal of this.
Sophia Lillis does an astounding job with her portrayal of her character, accompanied by her “It” co-star Wyatt Oleff as Stanley Barber. The already-established chemistry between the two actors makes for an even better on-screen relationship, and it definitely contributes to a lot of the realness of the show.
Unfortunately, “I Am Not Okay With This” was canceled a mere six months after the first season aired. There are a million questions left unanswered, which is why I suggest this show with caution; it’s amazing, but the unsolved suspense is enough to drive anybody mad. This does hold true to what Stanley says to her, though – it seems like she’ll never find out what is going on with her, and neither will we.