Our take
All four episodes of Adolescence are shot in a singular, shocking take. The camera takes us along as Jamie Miller (an outstanding Owen Cooper) is arrested for suspected murder. In one episode we follow Jamie and his confused father (co-creator and writer Stephen Graham), in another we follow DI Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters). And in one particularly head-spinning episode, we follow Jamie and his psychiatrist Briony (Erin Doherty) as they both try to get in each other’s heads. The series may seem like a straightforward murder mystery at first. Like Apple TV+’s Defending Jacob, it asks, did young Jamie do it? Will his parents believe him? Will we? But those questions are almost secondary to what the show really gets at. It takes on violent misogyny, a growing trend among the Andrew Tate-influenced youth. It takes on parental guilt, grief, and moral responsibility. It’s a hefty piece of work, but the naturalism of the script and the intimacy of the single-takes makes it feel terrifyingly close to home.
What it won
Venice
1 nom
The story
When a 13-year-old is accused of the murder of a classmate, his family, therapist and the detective in charge are all left asking: what really happened?
Elsewhere
"If it falls short of unearthing relevant new ideas and, at times, struggles to move beyond wallowing in fear, the compassionate handling of an all-too-common nightmare makes Adolescence a responsible approach to wrestling with thorny societal woes."
— Ben Travers
"No one will want to watch this series, but that is precisely why everyone should."
— Nandini Balial
When a 13-year-old boy is accused of murdering his schoolmate, detectives rush to find the truth behind the crime as his parents struggle to understand their child.
Episode 3, easily. To see a 13-year-old go head-to-head with a psychologist, and then to realize that’s a 13-year-old actor going head-to-head with a seasoned actress, is mind-blowing.
If you’re a parent raising a young kid, this just might be the most horrifying thing you could put on right now.
The details
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
really well done and amazing as each episode is done in one take too
I had high expectations, but ended up being a 5/10
Beautiful, and very well made