"Growing up is murder"
Adolescence is a four-part British drama, filmed in single continuous takes, about a thirteen-year-old boy accused of murder. Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) is arrested at dawn—his family shocked, the police methodical. The accusation: he stabbed a classmate, a girl named Katie. The show's structure: each episode is one continuous shot, following the aftermath from different perspectives. Episode one: the arrest. Episode two: the school. Episode three: the psychologist. Episode four: the family.
The technical achievement is staggering: four hour-long episodes, each a single take, requiring precise choreography of actors, camera, lighting, sound. But the technique serves the story. The unbroken takes create claustrophobia, immediacy, the sense that everything is happening in real time. There's no escape—from Jamie's flat, from the police station, from the school where he was bullied, from the truth. Stephen Graham plays Jamie's father, Eddie—a man trying to understand how his son became this. "I thought I knew him," he says. "I didn't."
The show's thesis: we don't know our children. The internet shapes them in ways parents can't see—influencers, algorithms, radicalization. Jamie watched content that taught him to hate women, to see himself as a victim, to justify violence. "It's not my fault," he says. "It's theirs." The show doesn't offer easy answers. Jamie is guilty—but so is everyone: the bullies, the school that failed, the parents who didn't know, the algorithms that profit from hate. "Everyone's responsible," a character says. "Everyone's guilty."
Four episodes, complete. Adolescence is a single story, told once, perfectly. The continuous-shot technique could be gimmick; here it's essential. We can't look away. We can't edit out the uncomfortable moments. We're trapped with this family, this boy, this tragedy. "Growing up is hard," someone says. "Growing up is murder." For Katie, it was.
Cinematography (10): Four continuous hour-long takes. Technical achievement unprecedented. The form is the meaning.
Characters & Acting (9): Owen Cooper's debut performance is stunning. Stephen Graham is devastating as the father. Raw, real, unforgettable.
Resolution (8): Complete story. The verdict, the family, the final shot. Nothing unresolved.
("Episode 1" — The arrest. Dawn raid. "I didn't do anything."
"Episode 2" — The school. The bullying. The context revealed.
"Episode 3" — The psychologist. Jamie alone. "I wanted her to be afraid."
"Episode 4" — The family. The verdict. "I didn't know him."
US: Netflix
UK: Netflix