‘What’s happening here is an ordinary family’s worst nightmare…’
In an age in which our viewing habits have never been more fractured and bespoke, it’s increasingly rare for something to come along in any medium and grab the zeitgeist by the throat. The concept of a ‘water cooler moment’ is pretty much obsolete in 2025, but very occasionally, something does come along that seems to have that certain magic that results in mainstream appeal. It’s perhaps a sign of the times that Adolescence, a gritty and bleak knife crime drama, is the thing that has managed to capture the attention of a nation…
Adolescence, written by and starring Stephen Graham (he shares a co-writing credit with Jack Thorne), tells the story of Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) – a 13-year-old boy who is accused of murdering a girl from his school. His dad Eddie (Graham) struggles to control his rage, while Jamie’s mum Manda (Christine Tremarco) simply wants to hold the family together. The investigation into the crime is headed up by DI Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters).
While Adolescence is essentially a mini-series, it is more akin to watching four not-quite-feature-length films. Director Philip Barantini has worked with Graham before on the restaurant drama Boiling Point and as with that film (and subsequent TV show), every episode here is filmed in one take. While this can feel like a distracting gimmick in lesser hands, here it lends the show a realism and authenticity that almost becomes unbearable by the end. That being said, the second episode which takes place in an inner city secondary school, features several moments that didn’t ring true to me (as a teacher myself) and while accuracy isn’t everything, it is important to note that the grim portrayal of secondary schools as “holding pens” as seen here didn’t ring true in my own experience.
Aside from that small misstep, however, Adolescence is pretty much perfect. Episode three, almost entirely a two-hander between Cooper and Erin Doherty’s struggling child psychologist Briony, is particularly effective, with both actors delivering show-stopping performances, particularly when considering the one-shot filming technique. Graham, an actor who has always had an instinct for making great choices, only appears sparingly in the first three episodes, but his performance in the final episode is truly some of the best acting I have ever seen anywhere. I felt utterly emotionally shattered by the end and it is a testament to all involved that the four episodes feel like a proper journey as well as a grim snapshot of life for a family who find themselves in an impossible situation.
Adolescence feels like the first big moment of 2025. While Netflix receives a lot of (fair) criticism for its handling of its cinematic output, credit where credit is due – Adolescence is a masterpiece.
