‘Adolescence’ on Netflix Is So Real It Hurts

This Is Netflix’ Own Coming-Of-Age Moment

Being a parent is one of the things in life I am the proudest of. Those who know me well, know there was a time I had to fight with everything I had to keep my son relatively close geographically, close enough to see him every week. Some of you were very important supporters for me at that time, and I am eternally grateful for each one of you.

All a parent wants for their kids, is first and foremost for them to be happy throughout their lives. You want them to do well in school to give them options for their future. You encourage and nudge them to participate in sports, music, the outdoors, and anything else they have an interest in.

I do believe those first 10-12 years of someone’s life are crucial for cementing that foundation of love, safety, stability and hope for the future that every child deserves. As they enter their teenage years, interests start to change, school gets harder, and they typically withdraw a bit to enjoy their own space and time to themselves. They interact with their peers via phones and computers, and some parents let them access social media in their early teens, as well.

I had heard the buzz about ‘Adolescence,’ but didn’t really know what it was about before I watched it. As Netflix does so well, they recommended this British four-part mini-series to me by dropping a banner about the series on my phone screen. I took their advice.

The story starts with a massive police presence showing up in a working-class neighborhood to forcefully enter someone’s home. They arrest a boy, Jamie, for murder, played by 16-year old Owen Cooper in his first ever acting role! He is unbelievable and undoubtedly has a long and successful acting career ahead of him.

The idea of the police coming for your child seems unthinkable for a parent. In fact, the parents (flawlessly portrayed by Stephen Graham and Christine Tremarco) first think the police are after them, or even their older daughter (Amelie Pease). When they find out it’s their 13-year-old son they want, and why, the confusion and disbelief set in. As viewers, we too think the British coppers got this one wrong.

This is not the first show on Netflix that has garnered praise and accolades for groundbreaking drama series; far from it. The Norwegian series ‘Lilyhammer’ (2012), known as the first original Netflix series, became a hit internationally and lasted three seasons. This series also paved the way for Norwegian and Nordic content being produced, acquired and licensed by Netflix, so much that a Netflix Nordics office was established in Stockholm in 2021. At that time, nearly 70 Nordic titles were available on the streaming service. Today, Netflix Nordics also has an office in Copenhagen. ‘House of Cards’ (2013-2018) was their first big budget drama series picking a fight with the established major broadcast networks. ‘Orange Is The New Black’ (2013-2019) was another one. ‘Stranger Things’ (2016 - present) was a huge hit, with fans now eagerly anticipating the final season. ‘The Crown’ (2016 – present) is a historical award-winning drama series still going strong. Last year’s ‘Baby Reindeer’ (2014), based on a true stalker case from the series creator, writer, executive producer and lead actor Richard Gadd’s own life, won a total of six Primetime Emmy-awards and two Golden Globes. “Write about what you know,” is common advice to screenwriters in the film industry. And did Gadd ever take that to heart.

So what makes ‘Adolescence’ so uniquely appealing and impossible to stop thinking about for days after watching it?

I think there are several reasons why:

Life is complex; nobody is 100% good or 100% evil.

For the past 15+ years, with movie franchises like Disney / Marvel driving the blockbuster train, movie-going and TV-watching audiences have been conditioned to want spectacular special effects, explosions, superheroes, and incredible CGI (computer-generated imagery) as the framework for predictable characters and cliché good versus evil plots. We root for the good guys to crush the bad guys. These films are one-dimensional in nature and rarely about getting under the skin (or under the superhero suit) of the protagonists. The gamble has been to throw money at the silver screen with production budgets of $200 - $400+ million dollars, hoping to sell a boatload of tickets to break even and hopefully make a decent profit to do it again in a sequel. In stark contrast, ‘Adolescence’ gets as close to a regular family’s life as you can imagine and is all about the complexities of life which we all know is far from black and white.

We marvel at innovative cinematography.

I must admit it took me until the end of the first episode (or maybe it was the beginning of the second…) to realize that each episode of ‘Adolescence’ is shot with one continuous take! What cinematographer Matthew Lewis and his team of camera operators achieved under the direction of Philip Barantini, is simply incredible. Has this ever been done before? Perhaps, I don’t know, but for four hour-long episodes? I doubt it. The result of this level of continuity is that we are right there with the characters driving the plot as the story unfolds in an intimate and vulnerable way - for them and simultaneously for us.

The linear unfolding of the story in real-time makes it painfully real.

The story starts with Jamie’s arrest, and everything unfolds for us at the same time as it does for the parents from that point on. We know as little as they do in the beginning, and we discover the truth we don’t want to be believe at the police station when Jamie’s Dad and Jamie watches the CCTV footage showing the crime taking place. We are completely invested in the Dad’s point of view and what he is going through as he tries to come to grips with what his son has done, while at the same time having to support his son and help be there for him. He also has to protect his wife and his daughter and protect their opinion of his son. His struggle is real and painful to watch.

There’s no editing to hide behind.

Because of the linear approach and continuous cinematography, there is no place for an editor to do their thing. No cuts back and forth in time, from one location to another, no cuts to close-ups. We are in on the ride with the parents from start to finish.

‘Adolescence’ merges the best of stage and television.

The continuous cinematography has a clear theatrical quality to it. This is perhaps the most obvious in episode 3 where Jamie meets with psychologist Briony Ariston (excellently portrayed by Erin Doherty) at the police station. What those two are able to accomplish as actors, live, is simply astonishing. Keep in mind this is 16-year old Owen Cooper’s first ever acting role! We see the rage that lives within Jamie and the fear that finally surfaces in Briony after Jamie has left the room. Incredibly powerful stuff.

The acting is incredible.

The entire ensemble’s on-screen performances are amazing, with three standouts: Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty.

Timely subject that hits home with most parents.

During the teenage years, getting your kids to open up to you as a parent, is difficult. There is so much going on in their lives, they are developing physically and mentally, and their lives start becoming a popularity contest where those who fall short are bullied and cut off from what the cool kids are doing. There is attraction and infatuation. Kids discover or reaffirm what they are attracted to, and being liked by those YOU like becomes incredibly important. With social media, disliking someone is very easy because you don’t have to do it face to face. You can create fake accounts and harass people online. Parents also have little control over what content their kids consume on their phones or on their computers. Add to that, various degrees of rebellion against parents, and you have a proper mishmash of expectations and emotions for both kids and parents. When parents are focused on being at work in a society with increasing living expenses, the kids spend more time alone, online and with their friends, especially in their teenage years. In addition, episode 3 brings out the darker side of Jamie’s beliefs about the roles of men and women. Owen Cooper as Jamie brilliantly changes from a boy to a threatening man within seconds while throwing his hot chocolate all over the room and kicking a chair, visibly frightening the psychologist.

We should have done better.

In the daily life of a family, whatever that family structure looks like, most parents try to do their best for their kids. It is only in situations when things don’t go well, when blame is directed at the parents while the rest of us get to pad ourselves on the shoulders and say “I can’t believe the parents didn’t pay more attention.” Until it happens to our own kids. The mini-series definitely plays on the guilt parents feel because we want to do better by our kids. A completely normal feeling, but excruciatingly painful when your kids are in serious trouble and it’s too late to fix things.

‘Adolescence’ portrays brilliantly how a family’s life is turned upside-down because of a moment of rage, and how each family member tries to handle this in their own way. The Dad (Stephen Graham) shows an incredible range of acting skills in this series. The guilt, the disbelief, the anguish, the pain. The feeling of knowing he must stay calm and be there for his son, like the good Dad he says he is, while knowing his son committed the most serious crime of the land.

‘Adolescence’ is so real it hurts. It unfolds in front of our eyes in such a way we can’t stop watching. I bet a large portion of Netflix’ subscribers have watched the entire four-part series in one sitting. It is that good. It is that painful.

The family considers leaving town and moving to another city because of the negative attention from neighbors and hooligans. They decide not to. They decide it will be just as difficult in a new place when people find out who they are. The family sticks together, and they are there for Jamie.

‘Adolescence’ is a masterly made TV-series about what unconditional love really means, for better or worse.

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For the first time, and we expect it will be a long time until next time, we are delighted to award ‘Adolescence’ with our top rating of 10 out of 10 reels.

It’s just that good, innovative, current and impactful.