I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS
What a Carrie on!
UK/US Netflix, streaming now
Showrunner Jonathan Entwistle
Cast Sophia Lillis, Wyatt Oleff,
Sofia Bryant, Kathleen Rose Perkins
If you enjoyed Channel 4’s psychopath love story The End Of The F**king World, you’re almost certain to dig this. Like that series, it’s based on a comic by Charles Forsman. The two share a producer and a composer (Blur’s Graham Coxon). You’re also pretty much guaranteed to love it if you buy vintage clothes by the kilo, or bought a hamburger phone after seeing Juno.
While the presence of mobiles suggests a modern-day setting, the meticulous retro stylings of this teen drama, with its corduroy and tanktops, patterned carpets and eclectic music choices (expect regular rewinds for a Shazam search), ensure it’ll press nostalgia buttons for viewers in their 30s or 40s. Plot-wise, it’s basically Carrie with an LGBT twist, following 15-year-old Sydney (IT’s Sophia Lillis) as she struggles with the dawning realisations that she’s a) in love with best friend Dina and b) has telekinetic powers, awakened when she gets angry or upset. Which is often.
Blessed with incredibly expressive eyes, Lillis nails the character’s blend of obstreperousness, vulnerability and sardonic wit, though IT co-star Wyatt Oleff often steals the scene as Stanley, a neighbour with a doomed crush on Syd whose love of VHS, eccentric fashion choices and sense of being at ease in his own gawky skin bring to mind Pretty In Pink’s Duckie Dale.
John Hughes movies are a key ingredient – there’s even an episode set entirely in detention…
At a scant 20 minutes per episode, it rushes by so fast you may wonder if it could just be a movie. But these bite-sized chunks prove moreish, and the jawdropping cliffhanger will leave you hungry for more. Ian Berriman
Will press nostalgia buttons