I am Not Okay With This
I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS - NETFLIXNETFLIX's adaptation of Charles Forsman's graphic novel I am Not Okay with This is an intelligent look into the daily struggles of the teenage demographic by brilliantly using elements of fantasy with grounded relevant social themes. Much of this said brilliance can be attributed to Forsman's bombastic, yet introspective narrative. That is not to disregard the show's strengths at both technically and creatively adapting its source material for a digestible and binge-worthy product, while never losing the sight of its more thematic elements.
This peculiar task of balancing tones of introspection and entertainment could have easily gone wrong; like most NETFLIX adaptations (13 Reasons Why, Death Note), there could have been a decision to play with its length, while storytelling would be carried out to an overstated welcome. The show, however, understands and respects the limits and potential of its source’s themes and scenes by establishing an eighteen to twenty-two-minute length. Providing a comic-issue like experience, every episode is constituted as its own bit-size piece to a nail-biting larger narrative.
That is not to say it does not add any thematic and narrative elements of its own. After all, the show’s total runtime still reigns over what an extremely faithful rendition might have looked like. Fortunately, whatever additions to both of these elements are made, they still feel like a logical extension of the storyline set up by the graphic novel, and not an addition for addition’s sake. This is evident in the screenplay by Jonathan Entwistle and Christy Hall, who carefully translate such dialogues for live-action television. They are realistic enough to communicate the emotions of human characters, and fantastical enough to give fantasy elements some weight into the established world.
The cinematography by Justin Brown, where the mid-range and long-running shots alongside a summer's dream like the colour scheme, also exemplify its narrative style of standard coming-of-age drama stuck alongside fantasy themes. From the outlook of its cinematography, the show breathes introspective coming-of-age drama in every frame. Therefore, the existence of alien concepts like superpowers does truly feel intrusive to the viewer and communicates the same intrusive feelings felt by the characters themselves.
Another technical aspect that beautifully carries this balance, and transition through its adaption, is the editing itself. Each subsequent transition gives off a pseudo panel-hopping feel to itself — each set of blocking and movement at the beginning and end of a scene is masterfully edited in, and seems consistent with its preceding or succeeding scenario.
This brilliant adaption of narrative can also be seen in the core of the show's binding force, the acting. Sophia Lillis’ Syd is a performance can make or break the show, and it is happy to report that the young actress adapts to her character as seamlessly as the aforementioned elements. There is an understanding on what should remain the same and what is to be changed in her performance, while even the most casual of viewers will be able to notice and appreciate the nuances she brings to her character. Wyatt Oleff is equally skilled in his portrayal of Stan, though scene-stealing at times, he perfectly knows the role’s boundaries, which he never loses sight of by trying to overlap or hijack the show.
With nuanced exciting performances, and limiting, yet logically extensive, creative and technical elements, I Am Not Okay With This, becomes a show that willfully manages to merge the identity of its source material as its own, without feeling disorganised about either part of its existence.
I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS is streaming exclusively on NETFLIX