Stephen Graham (left) and Owen Cooper star in Adolescence, a psychological crime drama series that centres on a 13-year-old schoolboy who is arrested after the murder of a young girl at his school. Photo: Supplied.
Adolescence is an attention-grabbing watch, but the formidable questions raised in it make for an invaluable conversation for families – parents, in particular.
The psychological thriller tells the story of how a family’s world is turned upside down when 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper, making an emotive acting debut) is arrested over the murder of a teenage girl, Katie Leonard (Emilia Holliday), one of his classmates.
The series opens with an unwelcome shock as police officers shatter the dawn and the front door of a suburban home in an English town to make the arrest. We are jolted into the start of the harrowing limited series, written and created by Jack Thorne (Toxic Town, Wonder, Enola Holmes) and Stephen Graham (who also provides a highly energetic performance as Jamie’s dad, Eddie.)
It’s masterfully directed by Philip Barantini (Boiling Point), known for his intense one-shot works that amplify the story’s intenseness and anticipated plot twists.
Unexpectedness abounds with alarming swiftness. Not only Jamie’s family, but even the therapist and detective in charge are all left asking: What really happened? Episode one follows the Miller family as Jamie is held in custody. They are feeling bewildered, sitting in the family room at the police station.
You can practically sense Eddie’s (Graham, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Irishman, Boiling Point) unshed tears and his repressed wrath. He is distraught, pointing out that Jamie hasn’t been found guilty, he’s been accused. His mum, Manda (Christine Tremarco), and older sister, Lisa (Amélie Pease), are naturally apprehensive, in disbelief, wondering how such misfortune could have transpired.
All the while, formalities continue as a solicitor is called, a strip search is undertaken and blood samples are taken. Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters, Top Boy, Missing You) and Detective Sergeant Misha Frank (Faye Marsay, The White Queen, Game of Thrones) go through the motions of processing a suspect, almost, but not entirely acclimatised with the brutality and indifference to the wrongdoing, how the crime scene investigation is undertaken, the processes involved and the evidence gathered. Even the school community is in disarray. Relationships are complicated, misunderstood.
All four episodes highlight a dissimilar backdrop and timeframe, allowing for superimposed layers of complicity to develop within the plotline. None of it feels unwarranted, though it’s an imposition into the worst moments in the lives of every character.
Adolescence explores the emotional impact of fanaticism and the ramifications of a crime committed by Jamie. The series explores why a young boy would commit a violent crime. It also delves into the themes of online extremism, cyberbullying and the challenges faced by the school system.
Katie is dead. Jamie is shattered. Yet the machinery that created this tragedy continues to operate, exacting a terrible price, uninterested in the human suffering. The crime committer is understood from the start, despite denials, making us realise the depth of despair surrounding the circumstances.
In reality, there are two victims: while Katie’s life was forcefully taken, focus also needs to fall on Jamie, who is the target of a complex online ecosystem that’s a breeding ground for harmful content, exploiting vulnerable individuals. As detectives expose elements of Jamie’s life, what transpires is “a portrait of modern boyhood in profound crisis”.
This crime drama puts the spotlight on a reality many of us may be unwilling to accept or are oblivious of. As parents, we should be aware of what’s happening in the digital lives of our children.
The co-writing efforts of Thorne and Graham are the prominent triumphs here, with every episode drowning us in overwhelming sorrow, scepticism and agony, to name a few emotions. A number of reasons point to why Adolescence is a masterpiece: exemplary performances, characters who are shrewd in their ability to understand and portray emotions, and it highlights a concerning trend of extreme misogyny in the digital age.
While Jamie’s story, specifically, isn’t based on a real person or event, the idea for the series did spring from Graham hearing news reports about young boys being involved in knife crimes.
“There was an incident where a young boy [allegedly] stabbed a girl,” Graham said. “It shocked me. I was thinking, ‘What’s going on? What’s happening in society where a boy stabs a girl to death? What’s the inciting incident here?’
”And then it happened again, and it happened again, and it happened again. I really just wanted to shine a light on it, and ask, ‘Why is this happening today? What’s going on? How have we come to this?’”
Adolescence, directed by Philip Barantini, is streaming on Netflix
