Pequod88

Adolescence is a tremendous 4-part series that explores the aftermath of a brutal murder. Neither a who done it nor a melodrama weighed down by excess, the series exemplifies the "less is more" school of storytelling that is all too rare these days. Stephan Graham is on yet another roll with this stellar work coming on the heels of A Thousand Blows. The writing and acting are first-rate, but it is successful use of a single shot for each episode that elevates the tension, immersing viewers in each setting as though we are sharing the space with the characters.

What is lost with the single-shot visual storytelling is more than compensated for by the absence of familiar tropes, signposts, and bloat. The school setting of episode two is especially strong, and complexities beyond the violent crime are introduced without fanfare. The shift from crowded school to one-on-one discussions between Jamie and a psychologist is a perfect pivot. The single-shot approach is equally effective here, even as the employment is much simpler.

Ashley Walters, Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham, and Erin Doherty are each outstanding. The constraints of the storytelling approach are never apparent in the performances, although the demands of the method certainly must have been considerable. The story takes on a difficult subject, yet is never exploitative or insensitive. Highly recommended.