The new Netflix mini-series Adolescence has made waves in the past weeks due to both the successful implementation of its ‘one-take’ style – but even more so because of what it says about our society itself.
The series – which follows the devastating aftermath of the murder of a young girl by one of her classmates – examines misogyny, violence against women, and ‘incel’ culture amongst teenage boys.
In a usual crime drama, we see events and developments from the perspective of the police, the suspect, the victim, their family, and the courtroom.
In Adolescence, we instead are given focussed, one-hour-long vignettes into the lives of the suspect, Jamie, his schoolmates, and his family.
Ordinary teenager
The series has struck such a nerve precisely because of how normal the suspect, his family, and his surroundings are.
Jamie seems like a well-behaved, average teenage boy, from a loving working-class family. He is intelligent, humorous, and clearly has a close relationship with his father. He lives in an ordinary suburban house in Northern England.
The superbly executed ‘one-shot, no cuts’ style allows the viewer to be fully involved in the story as we follow certain characters, finding out information and reacting to events as they do. This allows for a concentrated focus on the thoughts and feelings of the characters on screen.
For example, in the first episode, we feel part of Jamie’s family’s confusion about what is happening. We are left in the dark as much as they are by the lack of information given by everyone at the police station, as they take blood samples, strip search, and question Jamie.
Misogyny
The ‘one-shot’ technique is most brilliantly used in the third episode – a full 50-minute discussion between Jamie and Brioney, a female child psychologist. The performances and use of dramatic tension in this conversation are exceptional.
At first, the conversation flows naturally and the two have good chemistry, with Brioney buying Jamie a hot chocolate and offering him her pickle sandwich.
But as the psychologist probes further questions into Jamies’ relationship to girls, his upbringing, and what he thinks about himself, the responses we find are deeply disturbing.
Jamie reveals that he has a very low opinion of himself. He views women as objects for sexual gratification, and sees an advantage for himself when a woman is degraded.
Adolescence doesn’t try to pin these reactionary ideas on one simple cause, like social media, Andrew Tate, family life, school, pornography, etc. Rather, each episode sheds light on how all aspects of life under this sick system can produce abhorrent views and acts.
Predictably, however, Labour ministers have fallen over each other to praise the show, to suit their own agenda. But when it comes to tackling sexism, the best they can offer is banning phones in schools and “tougher action” on online safety.
Holding up a mirror
The series doesn’t attempt to give a full answer to the question of where ‘incel’ ideas and sexist violence come from.
But by posing the question in such a skilful and evocative way, the viewer is left with a deep-seated feeling that something is deeply wrong with society as a whole.
And this is what makes Adolescence a brilliant piece of art in its own right. Great art does not just reflect society as it is, but challenges and moves the viewer so deeply that they feel compelled to change it.
As Stephen Graham, the co-writer of the series who also plays Jamie’s father, remarked in an interview: “it takes a village to raise a child”. The responsibility falls on all of our shoulders to fight for a society cleansed of oppression.
