Dances, diaries, detentions, and demons in Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This

Whether from the trailer or the very first scene, Netflix's new series I Am Not Okay With This doesn't try to hide what it is. “Dear diary," says our high school "hero," Sydney, as she narrates from her diary while walking down an empty street covered in a blood-stained prom dress. "Go fuck yourself... I’m a boring 17-year-old white girl. What I mean is, I’m not special.”

Naturally, that's not quite true, as this seven-episode first season gradually makes clear. Not quite as dark as Carrie (blood aside), not quite as light-hearted as Stranger Things (a comparison that makes sense quickly), I Am Not Okay With This sits squarely somewhere in the middle of the teen-ekinesis spectrum. And whether or not this particular incarnation works for you may largely depend on your appetite for these types of stories in general.

• Sydney (Sophia Lillis) is dealing with something she's not sure how to articulate or control—and we're not talking about her self-loathing or anger, because she gets better at expressing those things. [credit: Netflix ]

In West Philadelphia Pennsylvania...

Sydney (Sophia Lillis) and her family are relatively new to this suburban Pennsylvania town, but adjusting to a new school and community barely registers on her list of problems to work through. First, there's the usual (albeit hard) teen stuff—she's still figuring out her sexual identity, still figuring out how she fits in within the strict social constructs of a stereotypical high school, still figuring out how to communicate honestly with her closest friends (Dina, another new-to-town girl who's attracted the attention of the quarterback, and Stan, her neighbor who drives an old landshark vehicle and listens to vinyl). But Syd's entire family also struggles as they cope with the suicide of Syd's father. Mom has to work overtime at the local diner and doesn't bring in a ton, leaving Syd and younger brother Liam to navigate aspects of poverty and overall family responsibility. That pales in comparison to the emotional fallout, of course, and the family members haven't really processed their grief, either.