A cinematic marvel

When was the last time we were intrigued by the technical side of a film, much more than its subject or acting? Not in recent memory!

Director Philip Barantini’s ‘Adolescence’, a four-episode British crime drama about a teenager accused of killing his classmate, is a cinematic marvel we can’t stop raving about. Each episode of this show is filmed in one single take.

It’s a universally relevant subject involving growing up, parenting, schooling and policing; powerhouse performances notwithstanding, what is mindboggling is the way cinematographer Mathew Lewis captures an hour-long episode in one take. How did the camera stay with the characters in real time? How were the sequences staged that there were no breaks? How did the actors remember their dialogues for such a long stretch when the camera never left them? Questions, questions!

Little wonder that just a few days after the series arrived on Netflix, the streaming giant released an elaborate video on YouTube with the title, ‘The Making of Adolescence’. After all, a technique that commands complete immersion in its actions and greater involvement with its characters from its viewers, calls for a detailed study.

Right from the opening scene when a police team bursts into the house of 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), who is facing charges of murder, to Jamie being put in a juvenile detention home, to a volatile session between Jamie and child psychologist Briony (Erin Doherty) to some soul-searching by Jamie’s father Eddie Miller (Stephen Graham) and mother Manda (Christine Tremarco) in the final episode, we stay close to the characters, invested in the situations.

Each episode is shot in a different location and focuses on a different aspect of the story. The first starts from Jamie’s house and shifts to the police station where Jamie maintains his innocence, pleading repeatedly that ‘I’ve done nothing wrong’. The second episode is shot in a high school which Jamie attended, as Detective Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters) tries to find the murder weapon and establish a motive. It’s a standout sequence considering its one-take execution in a crowded ecosystem.

The school environment, filled with hostility and drama, is all too real. Bascombe learning of ‘incel culture’ is an eye-opener for the viewer too. Growing up can be a painful experience in the times of social media. We also get to know a bit about Katie, the victim, who till then remains just a name. If this particular episode is a technical masterpiece, the third and the final episodes make an emotional connect.

The lengthy session between Jamie and Briony in the detention house gives glimpses of the real Jamie, his innocent face masking his cunning intelligence. ‘Look at you, so hopeful as if I am going to say something so important,’ he says, looking into Briony’s eyes when she tries to lead him to the truth. He teases Briony, puts his guard down and then screams at her, gets violent, pleads with her to not end the session.

Looking at the child actor oscillating between two extremes, it’s difficult to imagine that this is his debut show. Owen Cooper is a natural. Erin Doherty with her restrained act is another superb addition to the show. So is Stephen Graham. From disbelief to resigning to his fate, Graham reiterates the phrase ‘less is more’ when it comes to acting.

The final episode, which shows a defeated family trying to ‘reclaim the day’ as Manda tells her husband on his birthday, is heart-wrenching and thought-provoking at the same time. The couple and their daughter Lisa (Amelie Pease) do not have it easy after the news of Jamie’s arrest spreads in the neighbourhood. With Jaime deciding to plead guilty, they question their parenting skills, but Barantini’s deft handling of their emotional trauma never manipulates us into making any judgement. He just compels us to look closer at the family with sensitivity. And reflect…