Netflix's 'I Am Not Okay With This' sucks you in but leaves you hanging

High school sucks.

It sucks enough for Sydney (Sophia Lillis) on Netflix's I Am Not Okay With This, as she copes with belligerent thigh acne, arbitrary social hierarchy, and unwanted crushes. It sucks enough — and that's without the growing superpowers that she can't control.

I Am Not Okay With This, based on the graphic novel by The End of the F***ing World's Charles Forsman, stars It actress Lillis, often opposite It actor Wyatt Oleff, who once again plays a socially awkward boy named Stanley. Lillis' Sydney is at the point in her teenage years where the best thing that can be said is that the only way out is through. She's still grieving her father's unexplained death by suicide, grappling with her sexuality, and one of her few sources of comfort is best friend Dina (Sofia Bryant).

And yes, the superpowers.

Ever since her father's death, Syd is trying — and often failing — to mitigate what might be diagnosed as more than the average amount of teen rage. Whenever her emotions reach a certain height, they spill out in a mess of telekinetic energy — cracking a wall, knocking over a stop sign, giving the smug jock who's dating Dina a bloody nose. Lillis nails her character's uncomfortable body language and dry disdain for most of her life, but with a deep vulnerability that's never far from the surface.

Sofia Bryant, Wyatt Oleff, and Sophia Lillis channel some 'Breakfast Club' vibes in 'I Am Not Okay With This.' Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Yet even with sardonic charm radiating from Lillis throughout the show's entire atmosphere, Netflix's I Am Not Okay With This is insufficient. It’s the first act of a movie, the first half or majority of a TV season that leaves the viewer hooked, thirsting for more, and minimally satisfied otherwise. It flies by in seven episodes — not even half hours but 20-minute installments. We get immersed in Sydney's world and feelings, and just when we start to understand, we're forced to leave (we are at least afforded an answer to what event leaves Sydney bloodstained and shell-shocked in scattered flashes to the show's finale). Even one more episode would have served the show well by setting up Syd’s next steps and any additional background on her mysterious stalker.

Other than a few tells like cell phones, I Am Not Okay exists untethered to a specific era, with Lillis and Oleff invoking strong '80s vibes in every frame (and strong Stranger Things and Stephen King energy throughout). The two of them have that irresistible chemistry of misfits finding company as they realize their current reality isn't designed for them. Oleff embraces the off-kilter teen weirdo energy, managing to be entirely endearing and not creepy, as his character would likely have been written if this were indeed the '80s. In his hands, Stanley Barber is empathetic and loyal, dejected but not vindictive, respectful of boundaries even as he nurses a rollercoaster of a crush on Syd. Bryant is pure charisma, never letting Dina become the overplayed female character who abandons a best friend for a boyfriend (think on your sins, Nancy Wheeler).

There are still some reveals from the graphic novel in store for the televised version, and given that the streaming era prompts adaptations to explore beyond the limits of their ink-and-paper predecessors, we can safely expect Sydney’s story to reach entirely uncharted territory if there are future seasons.

I Am Not Okay With This is now streaming on Netflix.