BIANCA TORRE IS AFRAID OF EVERYTHING

An anxious teen solves a murder mystery.

Bianca keeps a running list of things to be afraid of: public speaking (#1), sheep (#24), opening up to strangers (#37), and ringworm (#118), to name a few. But when the White 16-year-old witnesses a real-life murder in the course of pursuing a semi-innocent hobby (spying on North Hollywood neighbors with a telescope), Bianca has to face a healthy chunk of those fears. Teaming up with charming, geeky neighbor and friend Anderson; Anderson’s trans brother, Ronan, (both of whom are Black); and Bianca’s Chinese American crush, Elaine, they unravel a series of clues that eventually lead to an incredibly strange cult linked to embezzlement from a number of local institutions. Meanwhile, Bianca is also untangling some questions of gender identity and sexuality, mostly by scrolling through terms and definitions online and contemplating what words make the most sense. Most of these introspective interludes feel awkwardly and didactically wedged in rather than engagingly explored through a compelling teen voice. Minus the murderous conspiracy-driven cult, most of the characters come across as carefully drawn sketches of supportive friends and family, with almost identically scripted one-note reactions to Bianca’s coming out.

A mostly suspenseful hike through self-discovery and saving the day.