ADOLESCENCE (UK 2025) *****
Directed by Philip Barantini
I seldom review streaming or TV series but ADOLESCENCE makes the exception.
It is a 4 episode series, one hour in length each, and it must be said the less known about the events the better. The preside is as follows, as it does disclose a bit of the plot.
In an English town, the police break down the door of a family home and arrest Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy, on suspicion of the murder of a classmate, Katie Leonard. Jamie is held at a police station for questioning and then remanded in custody at a Secure Training Centre. Investigations at Jamie's school, and questioning by a forensic psychologist, reveal that Jamie has been deeply disturbed by school bullying via social media centred on the incel subculture.
ADOLESCENCE was primarily filmed in and around Pontefract, West Yorkshire. Notable locations include Minsthorpe Community College in South Elmsall, used for school scenes, and Production Park in South Kirkby, which served as the set for police station interiors. Additionally, some scenes were filmed in Sheffield.
As the dialogue is typically British working class, a few slang words are used that might not be familiar to non-Brits. The words, for example slag (slut) and nonse ( a sex offender that involves a child), the second painted on the van of the Millers are examples.
The series also serves two important messages. The second episode shows how terrible and useless the education system appears to be, with the kids all swearing and mostly uncontrollable. One bright and tamed kid is the detective's son. The father loves and brings up his son well, illustrating that the kids' upbringing is foremost a job that is to be untaken by the parent(s). That is the most important in child rearing. Another is the example shown by this coloured family. Blacks set a good example in the story,
The series is notable for its unique filming technique, with each episode shot in a single continuous take, immersing viewers deeply into the narrative. The one-take works for several reasons. For one, the continuity of each scene is extremely smooth as the camera follows one character and then the next as the initial one passes the other. Secondly, the method shows the importance of timing technique, something that is largely missed by the average moviegoer.
Stephen Graham who plays the father, Eddie Miller, also co-wrote the impressive script and executively produced the series.
What makes the series most remarkable is its down-to-earth authenticity. The impossibility of educating adolescents, the reality of working-class life, and the difficulty of navigating adolescent life are effectively captured on film. The story offers a different perspective of the crime from the detective, from the psychologist, from the suspect, and from others. Also, keeping the intricacies of the plot revealed only at the appropriate moment works wonders.
Many have concluded that ADOLESCENCE is the best series ever made. Well, for one, it is pretty solid. ADOLESCENCE is arguably the best series to be seen thus far.
Trailer:
