Wow! This week I have watched the T.V. mini-series "Adolescence" - courtesy of Netflix. My apologies to you if you cannot access Netflix.
Set in a town in northern England, the drama focuses chiefly upon the Miller family and their thirteen year old son Jamie. There are four episodes and the immediacy of each episode is greatly assisted by keeping the camera rolling. No breaks - just long , continuous shots.
The core storyline touches upon some difficult modern issues such as: What is masculinity? The largely unbridled influence of social media upon young people's lives is also questioned. Teenagers sit in bedrooms staring at their screens with their headphones on but who knows what is really happening in those lost hours and who cares anyway?
I don't wish to give too much of "Adolescence" away as there will be blog visitors out there who intend to watch the series in the next few weeks. In TV entertainment, I am not someone who is drawn to crime drama. In fact, usually, I spurn it - but this was different. In my humble opinion, it deserves all of the plaudits it has already received.
Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller is as brilliantly earthy as always and Erin Doherty played the role of a visiting psychologist to perfection but for me the real star of the show is Owen Cooper in his very first TV appearance - taking on the challenging role of thirteen year old Jamie Miller who is accused of a dreadful crime.
The official trailer is provided below though I am not sure that it will be accessible in foreign lands like Australia and the USA. Anyway, I think the official trailer possibly gives away too much....
I don't have Netflix but I am not sure I would watch this one anyway. These days anything dark and/or grim just upsets me too much.
ReplyDeleteI understand where you are coming from with that remark JayCee.
DeleteI've been reading a lot about this, and intend to watch it very soon. It's in my Netflix queue.
ReplyDeleteI hope you will be able to decipher the dialogue Jennifer.
DeleteI'll turn on the closed captioning.
Deletethis has been plugged SO MUCH on every possible platform.... i am almost "put off" by the pre-show exposure........
ReplyDeleteTry to put all of that aside Foxy Loxy. Sit back and absorb it. This isn't "Downton Abbey".
DeleteThat particular show, I haven't seen it, is where I learned about the manosphere and all it's toxicity.
ReplyDeleteI only learnt the term "manosphere" last week. It's so horrible that young lads are latching onto it as if it it was valid and worthy of engrossment.
DeleteI agree with JayCee about things I would want to watch. Much too nasty and violent.
ReplyDeleteAt its heart, there is a lot of humanity in this mini-series. Questions and confusion abound. It is not gratuitous.
DeleteEveryone I know who's watched this show says it's incredible. We'll start it within the next few days.
ReplyDeleteThough they are linked, the four separate episodes are quite different from each other in the ways that they approach the central story.
DeleteI’ve missed this , it looks a bit much even for me
ReplyDeleteThis is Netflix at its best in my opinion.
DeleteIt looks quite interesting. And I do love British shows; there aren't as pandering or easy to read as American shows.
ReplyDeleteThis takes TV drama into new territory - lifting the bar.
DeleteThe way 13 year old Jamie tried to intimidate and bully the female psychiatrist was chilling to watch in the third episode. I knew nothing about the manosphere or the influence of the Tate brothers until I watched Adolescence.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the tension in the room. Jamie shifts between being a sweet, endearing boy into an aggressive monster and back again. It's brilliant acting and in just one take too.
DeleteI normally stay away from crime drama but I watched the first two episodes today. It is very well done. I am anxious to see the rest. I was struck with how careful the police were with the minor. I am not so sure that it goes down like that in the US.
ReplyDeleteIn such detail, it was very believable.
DeleteIt looks very interesting, I'll keep an eye out for it.
ReplyDeleteDo you have access to Netflix Elsie?
DeleteHmm... I happened to watch the trailer last night while netflixing but had not yet made up my mind whether I want to watch the series. After your review, I am still in two minds.
ReplyDeleteIt grabbed me and made me think. Powerful stuff but I understand that some people might not want TV drama to do that.
DeleteThe trailer may well have given too much away. I used to relish such series, but now I find the intensity mentally uncomfortable. I hope it at least has a semi happy ending.
ReplyDeleteI think it leaves the door open for a second series.
DeleteLike everyone else who doesn't like 'dark' same cowardly fear here.
ReplyDeleteThere is far too much crime drama on the telly but this was pretty special. Groundbreaking.
DeleteI saw this being discussed on Breakfast television the other day. I don't have Netflix, so can't watch it, but it looks interesting. There is a lot about misogyny at the moment and that horrible Andrew Tate's influence on young boys.
ReplyDeleteTate is mentioned in passing in the show.
DeleteThe trailer works here in the USA.
ReplyDeleteGood. Will you watch it David?
DeleteI saw it being offered as I was scrolling through Netflix offerings and I tend to shy far away from anything in which children are at risk of danger. I see this may be a different sort of danger. I'll have to think about this.
ReplyDeleteIt grabs the viewer but it also feels very real.
DeleteA friend of mine watched this and said it was gripping and a must watch. I just watched the trailer you posted and I must say it looks rather intense.
ReplyDelete"Intense" is a good word for it Michael.
DeleteThat trailer puts me off rather than tempts me...
ReplyDeleteEverybody is watching it Monica. Maybe you should too... if you have Netflix.
DeleteAside from not wanting to watch a fictional representation of something I can read about instead in the news (i.e., the manosphere), I also worry about the effects of this on the young actors in such shows. In some productions the young ones can be sheltered from the dark parts but in shows such as this the young person is at the center of the story and I wonder what it does to them.
ReplyDeleteChristiane Amanpour interviewed Stephen Graham last night; I don't have Netflix but I want to find a way to watch this.
ReplyDelete