Adolescence review: Netflix show about a teen accused of murder is unflinching, gripping and a total must-watch

What makes a victim out of a child? Who should be responsible for the actions of a 13-year-old accused of killing a classmate? The parents? What led to the crime? There are a dozen other crime dramas that revolve around murder and the investigation that follows- and try to answer some of the questions led above, but no other show in recent memory has come close to achieving what the new Netflix release Adolescence has. Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham’s deeply haunting and masterful drama asks tough questions, and pushes the medium in ways that are genuinely rewarding. (Also read: The Diplomat review: John Abraham, Sadia Khateeb’s thriller based on real events falls short of perfection)

The premise

Adolescence is made up of 4 episodes, almost an hour long, with each episode made to look like it was filmed in entirely one take. It is a technique previously seen in Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Birdman, used to masterfully immerse the viewer in the scene, with the characters. To feel so close to them that a single moment of silence feels deeply claustrophobic to witness.

It opens with a team of police officers barging in the house of 13-year-old boy Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper). Soon we will learn he has been accused of murdering his classmate Katie the night before. The camera follows back and forth as Jamie is taken to the station, his details being taken, while his parents come in along with his elder sister Lisa (Amelie Pease). His father Eddie Miller (Stephen Graham) and mother Christine Tremarco (Manda Miller) are just as shocked as the viewer, taking in all the information and complying with the procedure as much as possible. Jamie chooses Eddie to be his appropriate adult, as he denies all accusations, saying, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.'

But something is clearly amiss. Detective DI Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters), whose son is also a student in the school where Jamie studied, does not know how to put his finger on the chaos that spreads once the news gets to the classrooms. The depiction of the school environment, filled with bullies, hostility, and a cacophony of noises is horribly accurate. Bascombe will soon get to the chase. As an adult, he is unaware of the specific subset of ‘incel culture’ that is wired into these children and the way they respond through social media. But what it means, and how it transpires, is a dark web of sorts.

A technical accomplishment

Adolescence is unafraid to take the viewer there, as displayed in the harrowing penultimate episode comprised entirely of a session between Jamie and a child psychologist, Briony (Erin Doherty). A few months have passed since Jamie's detention and Briony has been assigned to take an independent assessment of him. Jamie is now aware of what this place is, and what the people really mean. ‘Look at you so hopeful as if I am going to say something so important,’ he tells Briony, as she maneuvers her way through initial light-hearted talk to get to the tougher questions.

Jamie looks right through the trick, his gaze so penetrating that it breaks the facade of the once-innocent child he was presumed before. This single hour of Adolescence is a miracle of sorts, so masterfully shot by Matthew Lewis and directed by Phillip Barantini. Erin Doherty provides immense control and texture to the proceedings, however the real wonder here is child actor Owen Cooper. In what is his first acting role, Cooper is terrifying to watch as he slowly puts his guards down to reveal where Jamie's reasons come from. He infuses Jamie with a rich interiority and cunningness, charting an entire backstory in just a series of glances. It is a performance of astonishing, unputdownable power.

Final thoughts

What makes Adolescence so powerful is that it never tries to manipulate the viewer into some conclusion. Through its persistence on following time, place and action, there is a unity of emotional intelligence and sensitivity that demands the viewer to look closer, follow the words a little more carefully. Because where else did these people go wrong? What could have these people done differently as parents to avoid this unforgivable crime?

The attention, or the lack thereof, is the key. Adolescence wants all the attention for its characters, it wants all the care and persistence, as it refuses to hand easy answers. This is a show that takes one case to draw out a whole ecosystem of parenting, schooling and growing up. What are we teaching our kids? What kind of adults are they becoming? If we don't pay attention, who will? Adolescence, undoubtedly one of the year's very best shows, makes you sit up and take notice.