Meticulously crafted, powerfully written and featuring one of the best acting debuts ever (no that's not hyperbole), ADOLESCENCE is a gut wrenching four-part miniseries that demands to be seen.
Each of the hour long episodes are crafted as stand alone chapters and each was filmed with one camera that follows the action real-time, without any edits. It's an astonishing feat that wows you with its sheer logistical brilliance, but never takes you out of the events unfolding.
Chapter One opens with Detective Bascombe (Ashley Walters) and his partner DI Misha Frank (Faye Marsay) and a police force bursting through the front door of a suburban home, wielding automatic weapons and full riot gear.
Their target is 13 year old Jamie Miller (newcomer Owen Cooper) who cowers in his upstairs bedroom. His Dad, Eddie (Stephen Graham), Mom, Manda (Christine Tremarco) and sister Lisa (Ameile Pease) are all horrified, cowering from the shouting horde as they burst into their early morning.
Jamie is taken from the home and loaded into a police van. This opening scene is brilliant taste of what's to come. The camera glides through the action, upstairs and downstairs in the home as terror turns to shock and the family tries to understand what's happening.
The tension is relentless as we watch Jamie arrive at the station. We live these moments with him, being processed into the station, trying to answer questions between sobs, a very young stranger in a world of adults. The casting of every single person Jamie encounters is flawless.
A lawyer is appointed, the family is given snippets of what's happening and the episode ends with a soft but harrowing interview by Bascombe and Misha.
This first chapter is a roller coaster of emotion and fantastic story telling.
Graham and Jack Thorne co-created and wrote the entire series and they've captured lightning in a bottle. While one-camera shots are frequently creative and sometimes jaw dropping, as in the opening scene of OO7's "Spectre" or Sam Mendes's feature length one-shot wonder 1817, those films have always used a momentary cheat, a dark wall, a character passing by the camera as a way to seam together 10-15 minute sequences.
Here, Director Philip Barantini (Band of Brothers) choreographed each full episode as one camera shot from beginning to end, a creative high wire act that pays off time after time.
Without a riveting story at it's core, ADOLESCENCE would be all flash and no substance. It's the opposite. An emotional powerhouse, we watch the dynamics of family, of trust, of death and the impact of social media on different generations.
Mental health and the formative years of youth in the middle of social pressure seem escalated to the skies, but the creative team keeps it grounded by delivering tight observations across the widening ripples of one tragic crime.
Each episode takes place at a different time.
As the viewer, we pop into the lives of these characters and those pulled into the investigation a few days after Jamie's arrest, then many weeks later, then months later.
Each chapter stands on its own and delivers, each from a different view.
Episode Three is astonishing, as we sit in on a one-on-one session between Jamie and the psychologist examiner that his legal team has appointed, Brioni Ariston (Erin Doherty).
It's a towering cat and mouse game between the two that rivets your eyes to the screen. Think about adolescence and the emotions of those early years. The "feels" of that time run the gamut. Confidence, terror, pride, weakness, flirting, having your heart broken, laughter, anger.
Watch Owen Cooper as Jamie in this episode. I don't remember, in my lifetime, a more natural and assured portrayal by a first time actor. He is astonishing and there isn't a false breath. Now consider that the entire scene was done in one take, from beginning to end like a stage play. Doherty is excellent as well, a seasoned actress with roles in "The Crown" and the National Stage. The duo serve up a feast of acting and a turning point in the series.
The final chapter focuses on Eddie, Manda and Lisa and their lives months later as the trial nears. There isn't a false, unrealistic move in the hour and the brilliance of the structure still echoes. A typical, conventional (lesser) take on these events would never delve into the ripples across this family.
The final moments are a fist to the chest of emotion. This is career-best work from Graham.
What an astonishing series.
The next morning, I'm thinking about all the things that the series was able to say. Not by pounding messaging over your head. Through superb writing, incredible directing and a masterclass cast led by young Owen Cooper. What's the right word for a first-time actor of this relevance? A discovery, a prodigy?
Move ADOLESCENCE to the top of your binge list. All involved get an A+.
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