The Age of "Adolescence"

Spoilers for the first episode ahead.

Netflix's "Adolescence" is being billed as a mystery or a thriller in some places, which is misleading.  It's a four-episode miniseries about a terrible crime, and there are certainly elements of suspense and tension, but we know who was responsible from very early on.  Instead, "Adolescence" is better characterized as a social drama, each episode covering a new development in the investigation and resulting fallout.  In addition, each episode is done in one nerve-wracking shot, with no cuts, and apparently no technical cheats.   

Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, "Adolescence" is about a 13 year-old who is accused of murdering a classmate. Graham plays Eddie Miller, the father of Jamie (Owen Cooper), a sweet-looking kid who is arrested in the first episode by DI Bascombe (Ashley Walters) and DS Frank (Faye Marsay).  The second episode follows the detectives when they conduct interviews at Jamie's school.  The third is spent with Jamie while he's being interviewed by a child psychologist, Briony Ariston (Erin Doherty).  Finally, the fourth focuses on Eddie, his wife Manda (Christine Tremarco), and their daughter Lisa (Amélie Pease) dealing with the aftermath several months later.

"Adolescence" is designed to ask questions and spark debate, not to provide all the answers.  We get a rough idea of what happened and Jamie's probable mindset, but there is so much left unresolved for the audience to parse themselves.  We don't know why the victim's friend, Jade (Fatima Bojang), attacks Jamie's friend Ryan (Kaine Davis) during the school episode.  We don't know if the version of events relayed by Jamie to Briony during their session is truthful.  We don't know how much responsibility the Millers have regarding Jamie's actions.  We don't know what part his school environment or his friends might have played.  There's certainly a lot suggested by what we witness, but nothing confirmed.  The performances from the entire cast are excellent, with Stephen Graham anchoring the whole enterprise with heartbreaking commitment.  It's also hard to believe that this is Owen Cooper's first screen role, as he displays a remarkable amount of control over Jamie's shifting moods and mannerisms.    

I appreciate that "Adolescence" is keen on tackling current events and issues head-on.  Ripped-from-the-headlines media like "Law & Order" or the Netflix true crime docuseries are usually so sensationalized, it's a real surprise to find something that's approaching these subjects with real care and nuance.  The Miller family is completely ordinary, and the parents have no major domestic issues or personal problems, so you can't point to any of the usual suspects for Jamie's disturbing behavior.  There's more scrutiny placed on school and the internet, where adult supervision is lacking, social safety nets are failing, and kids are falling through the cracks.  Alarms have been raised for years now about how educational institutions have been in crisis post-Covid, and seeing the chaos up-close is a real eye-opener.  There's also a gentle, but pointed push for parents to be more involved in their children's lives, as a recurring theme throughout the show is that the well-meaning adults have little to no idea what's really going on with their kids.  

The UK has a long history of producing excellent social dramas, but Ken Loach and Mike Leigh have slowed down lately due to funding troubles, and it's been a while since I've seen a piece of drama that feels so immediate and so relevant to the lives of everyday people.  It's wonderful to have "Adolescence" carrying on in their footsteps.  I don't know that the one shot format adds all that much narratively, but it's all very well done.  And if the fancy filmmaking attracts more viewers, then I'm all for it.  I think we need much more media in this vein being produced, hopefully by creators as insightful and empathetic as the ones responsible for "Adolescence."

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