Why you need to check out Sophie Lillis new series, ‘I Am Not Okay with This’

Sophia Lillis stars in Netflix’s next teen-focused story with a twist, I Am Not Okay with This. Riding on the sarcastic edge-filled coattails of The End of The F***ing World, I Am Not Okay with This is equally as charming, but intentionally more enjoyable.

Director Jonathan Entwistle of End of the F***ing World teams up with the producers of Stranger Things to bring the coming-of-age story that doubles as a superhero origin story. 

Teaming up with co-creator Christy Hall, Jonathan Entwistle adapts Charles Forsman’s graphic novel, also titled I Am Not Okay with This. This is Forsman and Entwistle’s second pairing, as End of the F***ing World was also a graphic novel of Forsman’s, prior to its success as a Netflix series.

Sophia Lillis as Sydney Novak

I Am Not Okay with This takes you through Sydney Novak’s (Sophia Lillis) journey as a high school student. Covering topics like sexuality, friendship, and family relationships (or lack thereof), to create a relatable experience, Sydney is just trying to make it through high school. 

Oh, and Sydney has superpowers. 

Sophis Lillis’s excitement to play the part of Sydney is evident throughout the series. Her passion for the project rings through with her acting. Sophia doesn’t hold herself as carefully as she did throughout It. Sophia Lillis is deeply enmeshed into her role as Sydney, so much so that people might not even recognize her for it. 

Sound the alarm, a show with charm

I Am Not Okay with This has a dreaded word looming over it the entire time, and that is “charming”. Each character, whether liked or not, makes you feel part of the cast. All without stooping to quirky fourth wall breaks or imagery galore.

Not to sound pretentious, but I Am Not Okay with This is more of an experience. You sit down to watch, you engage with the characters on a personal level, and then suddenly twenty minutes go by and you’re onto the next episode. 

The teenage experience is something we can all see ourselves in. The YA demographic has either gone through their teens or is going through their teens. A problem some shows and movies have for their demographic, however, is creating honest teenagers with personality.

I Am Not Okay with This’s charm and enjoyability isn’t only found through Sydney’s character, it is through her reactions to situations and those around her. She has feelings and thoughts behind those feelings and feelings behind those thoughts on her feelings. 

Look Out DC

I Am Not Okay with This has a twist on superpowers beyond just another coming of age element that Sydney has to deal with. This aspect develops more as a metaphor to her already problematic situation with being a teenager, but the Carrie vibes received from it just add the cherry on top to make this show a shining gem.

Lots of superhero-based media introduce a superpower as a happy-go-lucky, enjoyable miracle that is used to save the world. I Am Not Okay with This takes the smart path on this concept and delivers the powers to our poor Sydney as a curse. She sees herself as dangerous to others and becomes fearful of the progression of her skills. 

The emotion of hurting those around her can only be described as traumatizing. As sad as it is, people want to see trauma and how it develops a character. Kill Bill wouldn’t be such a grand movie if every character had just been happy with their situations and moved on. This is where a show rises to an art form, by beginning with a twisted concept. 

Another bingeworthy Netflix Original

There are a lot of coming of age stories with the same elements that I Am Not Okay with This presents. Many of those stories have been by Netflix themselves. Christy Hall and Johnathan Entwistle have made the story interesting through its concept, and groundbreaking with its character structure.

Sophia, whose personification of the main character is darling, is supported by a stellar cast. Dina (Sofia Bryant) and Stanley (Wyatt Oleff) confront the story with ease. Reaching from behind them with a great soundtrack and environment, this show wraps itself up like Christmas isn’t ten months away.

I Am Not Okay with This is the show we didn’t know we needed.