Adolescence
Everyone eventually grows out of adolescence; whether it's a first kiss or staying out late, it happens to everyone. Netflix’s 2025 mini-series “Adolescence,” created by Jack Thorne and directed by Philip Barantini, dives into the darker side of the inevitable loss of innocence. The Netflix mini-series features four episodes, roughly about an hour each, and features a unique way of filming, opting for each episode to be filmed in one continuous shot rather than each scene being full of cuts and blending shots.
Released on March 13, 2025, “Adolescence” follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller, played by Owen Cooper, as he's accused of murdering his female classmate. The audience quickly learns that this series is a typical “whodunit” but chooses to focus on the motive behind the murder. The show centers on the “Tate craze” of toxic masculinity and misogyny pushed on young boys in recent times. The deeper you get into the show, the more information you get about the crime and the motives behind it. You wait until the third episode to have Jamie even confess to the murder, despite it being pretty much confirmed that Jamie committed the crime. When asked about the mini-series, Megan Kulich, 11, said, “I like the cinematography. Making the episodes one-shot puts you in the situation alongside the characters. I like how realistic it was, and they didn't go out of their way to romanticize the situation.”
One thing that stood out to me throughout my watch was the way the first episode misleads you, showing you the teddy bear Jamie still sleeps with and telling you he's afraid of needles. By giving you this information, the creators lead you to believe that Jamie is exactly what he wants you to think—an innocent 13-year-old boy not capable of such violence. Throughout the show, Jamie repeats, “I didn't do anything wrong.” While at face value, this seems like a way to say he's innocent, it shows how Jamie genuinely didn't think his actions were wrong and that Katie deserved to die because she didn't fear Jamie simply for being a man.
“Adolescence” is a show I think anyone should watch. It forces up the conversation of misogyny and young toxic masculinity. At times, it can be a hard watch due to the topics and graphic scenes, but the result of sitting through it is more than worth it. The final episode is full of mourning the loss of the son they once had, while the community mourns the victim lost to an insecure little boy. While it can be hard to sit through, being educated on these kinds of issues is much more important than a few hours of comfort.