Adolescence

All the characters feel so real, and Stephen Graham as Jamie's dad is just on another level. He brings so much emotion that really hits you. The camerawork is also incredibly impressive like pulling off a single-shot style for each hour-long episode must have been so difficult, but they really nailed it.

The only thing is the plot.... something feels a little incomplete. It's not bad, but there's a sense that a piece is missing.

Adolescence is a bold and ambitious miniseries that tries something different with how it's filmed. The entire show is shot in one long, continuous take, which creates a tense and immersive feeling, pulling viewers into the emotional struggles of the characters.

The standout performance comes from Owen Cooper, who plays Jamie-a 13-year-old accused of murder. His acting is powerful and emotional, bringing some much-needed depth to a character we don't learn much about. Stephen Graham also gives a strong performance, adding weight to the scenes he's in, although they both do not appear in every episode.

However, despite how impressive it looks, the show has some clear problems. The characters aren't fully developed, and the story doesn't move forward in a satisfying way. We don't get much insight into Jamie's thoughts or reasons behind his actions, which makes it hard to connect with him. Key parts of the plot, like what happens to the murder weapon or how the investigation unfolds, are left hanging.

The single-take filming style, while interesting, also leads to some scenes dragging on too long, making the pacing feel slow. The show tries to explore big issues like teenage trauma, social media pressure, and family problems-but it doesn't go deep enough, leaving its message unclear.

All in all, Adolescence is visually impressive and emotionally intense, especially for those who enjoy unique storytelling. But if you prefer a strong plot and fully developed characters, you might come away feeling let down.

Performances: 9 points, story: 7 points.

As a parent, I found it to be an eye-opening watch-scary, puzzling, and deeply psychological. It felt genuine and painfully realistic as the motive behind the crime slowly revealed itself. The pacing of the scenes and the camera work were exceptionally well done. The dialogue was well-written, with just enough silent moments to encourage introspection and allow us to reflect on the issues raised in our own lives and experiences.

Not to mention the incredible acting-the performances were outstanding. I even went back and rewatched some parts after realizing that the young actor had never performed on screen before. What a talent-natural, captivating, and truly remarkable. An amazing start to what will hopefully be a long and successful career on screen.

Thank you!

Did we love him enough, or love him wrong?

Were we too strict, or not strong?

Did we push him too far, expect too much?

Or did we not push him enough?

Did he hide his pain behind a smile?

Were we blind to it all the while?

Did we listen, or just assume?

Did he feel safe in his own room?

Was it the school, the friends he had?

Was it us, were we just bad?

Did we fail him, let him down?

Did he drown while we weren't around?

Was it the screens, the world online?

Did it tell him, "You're not fine"?

Did words on a phone cut too deep?

Did they steal his right to weep?

Could we have stopped it, if we knew?

If we had held him, pulled him through?

If we had said, "We're here, just talk," Would he have stayed, taken one more walk?

Who do we blame? The world? Ourselves?

Do we lock the past on dusty shelves?

Or do we ask, do we learn, So no more Jamies fail to return?

"Adolescence" is a wound so real, A story that makes you stop and feel.

A parent's grief, a lesson told, A tale too heavy to let go cold.

Adolescence is one of the most talked about limited series of the year and it came out of nowhere. It wasn't heavily promoted or have any A-list actors yet it was so good that word of mouth made this one of the most watched limited series for Netflix. The acting, writing and directing was would made this show so good. Stephen Graham is one of the more underrated actors there is right now, he's great in just about every thing he does. He got rewarded for his work here too by winning an Emmy for best actor in a limited series. That wasn't all the awards this show won though. 15-year old Owen Cooper won best supporting actor for a limited series, Erin Doherty won best supporting actress for a limited series and the show itself won for best limited series. It also won for best writing and directing too. It just cleaned up all the awards.