Adolescence

However impressive Adolescence is I couldn’t help but feel somewhat dissatisfied by the series as it came to an end. The first three episodes are honestly quite spectacular as they build up a hugh momentum through the subject matter and the cinematic devices.  The ingenuity behind having every episode as a single continuous shot is beyond impressive and incredibly well executed in terms of the technicality of it. But was it the best method of telling the story? From concept to execution, the first episode is brilliant as it perfectly captures the intensity and desperation of the situation of the characters involved. The second episode flounders a bit until the third episode brings along a steadfast motivation for the concept of the series.  That’s until the final episode - I guess a story is only as good as its ending. All the momentum built up dies as the series tries too hard at tying up loose ends while forgetting the themes of the story. Going into the series I thought it’d have a pertinent message of the corruption of kids and the growing concepts of traditionalism and incel-culture through the likes of Andrew Tate. But with the exception of a few single mentions, this entire concept of the series is slowly diluted during the final episode as it switches to focusing solely on the drama of the aftermath of the family’s condition.  The final episode is pretty good in its own right as the tonality switches. But I found it to some extent to exempt the subject of his crimes. It’s a heartfelt episode, but there’s a clear disconnect to the previous three episodes.  I’m always intrigued by the concept of one-shot filming, but with it comes a fine balance. I have a hard time understanding its usage in media where there’s a reliance on making the viewer connect and relate to the story as it inherently makes for an unnatural connection to the media’s actions - you’re immediately more aware that you’re not actually precent during the events of the series. In short, it serves as a gimmick rather than serving the narrative.  It pains me to say that Adolescence didn’t quite work for me as it has done for so many others. But I think the plot got lost somewhere along the way as it focused too heavily on the technicality rather than the actual purpose of the series.