Believe everything you’ve read about Adolescence on Netflix; this series will change the way tv is made.
What is Adolescence about?
Netflix say: “Adolescence tells the story of how a family’s world is turned upside down when 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) is arrested for the murder of a teenage girl who goes to his school”.
How is Adolescence filmed?
Incredibly, each episode is filmed in a single shot. So you only ever see footage filmed from one camera; there are no cuts, no lapses in time. That means no editing, no retakes… it blurs the lines between theatre and television. Every episode is in real time. That means, for example, in the first episode when Jamie is driven to a police station, you see every second of that journey. Silences and all.
And this makes for one hell of an uncomfortable watch.
Is Adolescence worth watching?
It’s worth your Netflix subscription alone! Stephen Graham is at the top of his game in this, and Ashley Walters too is just incredible to watch. But it’s Owen Cooper that will really have you gripped. This 13 year old actor is spectacular. We hope his name is etched against a BAFTA already, because my god he deserves it.
The best thing about this drama is it achieves exactly what Graham set out to achieve; That is, the whole point of it is parents watching will have the uncomfortable realisation that this could be their kid. Jamie is not a monster. He’s a child that found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and made a hideous mistake that will affect the rest of his life.
The realisation on the face of his dad when they’re sat alone together in the police station will rip your heart out. Episode 2 takes the action into the school, where Jo Hartley is phenomenal as a teacher dealing with the most horrendous situation.
It’s not based on an entirely true story, rather it’s based on a number of real life cases, and Stephen Graham who also produces Adolescence wants you to understand that knife crime isn’t exclusive to gangs in poor parts of London, it can and does happen anywhere.
This is up there with the best dramas made in the last decade, Line of Duty, Broadchurch, now this. We don’t want to give away too much more, so just watch it. It’s magnificent.
Stream it on Netflix.
