The setback you didn't expect to find on Netflix

Adolescence (Adolescence) is, without a doubt, the best series to premiere in recent months. You wouldn't expect it on Netflix, due to the narrative approach that goes beyond the action, the desire for social exploration, and the film technique that determines the pace. Created by and starring actor Stephen Graham, it's a family drama that begins when the police break down the door of a house to arrest the thirteen-year-old son, accused of murdering a schoolmate. The story will unfold over four chapters: the arrest, the police investigation at the school, Jamie's session with the psychologist, and, finally, the family's efforts to return to their routine despite the state of devastation. The series is reminiscent of the film We must talk about Kevin, by Lynne Ramsay, based on the magnificent novel by Lionel Shriver, in which we delve into the family circumstances of a teenager who has caused a massacre at his high school. In both cases, the fiction has been motivated by real stories that have appeared in the media and force us to question the causes of these atrocities.

This is what explores and explains so well Adolescence –which you'll find with the Catalan subtitle option–. The series steers clear of the details of the crime. In fact, we only see the murder scene in a background shot. The series' creators aren't concerned with the how, but rather the why. They delve into the reactions of their protagonists. The camera observes, trying to decipher the causes that could lead a boy of only thirteen to kill a classmate. What could happen within a working-class, structured, middle-class family, invested in the well-being of its children, to end up suffering a situation like this? The invisible inertia we inherit from our parents, emotional upbringing and the consequences of misunderstood masculinity, the crisis of the educational system, the social pressure of social media, and the difficulties in digesting social transformations emerge throughout the four episodes. Adolescence It demands an almost scrutinizing attitude from the viewer. It forces you to focus on the characters' nonverbal language, their gazes, their silences, and how they interact with each other. The script insinuates, and each viewer is free to interpret the events. Philip Brantini's direction and the masterful performances from the entire cast, particularly Owen Cooper's as the child protagonist, draw us into a hypnotic narrative that induces a voracious viewing of the series despite the subsequent difficulty in digesting the story. All episodes are filmed in sequence shots, a technical flourish of high cinematic complexity, which is initially unnecessary but contributes to loosening the narrative tempo. It involves transitions that facilitate reflection on the part of both the characters and the viewer, appealing to this need to question and find small answers. Adolescence It's an unexpected blow. A case that serves to reflect on the emotional legacy we're leaving behind for younger generations.