ADOLESCENCE-Necessary Viewing for Adults and Teens and Seen Together

Every parent's worst nightmare is the unimaginable loss of their child. In the unforgettable Netflix series "Adolescence," the anguish is compounded for one family whose 13 year old son is arrested and charged in the girl's killing. This taut, realistic drama plays out in 4 flawlessly acted episodes that leaves viewers stunned. The first episode begins with banal banter between officers in their patrol car. This brief respite  is short lived. The officers calmly vacate their car and approach a homes that is indistinguishable from the myriad of home in a British, suburban development. The father opens the door to the barrage of pounding by the police and then pushes aside the man confronted at the door. The officer informed the man they have a warrant for his son. A cavalcade of officers move stealthily through the tight quarters pushing aside a girl coming out from the bathroom to the floor. The parents follow the officers up the stairs as they burst into the bedroom of a 13 year old boy still in bed.  The boy, Jamie (played to perfection by Owen Cooper) is told his rights as he cowers and claims he didn't do anything. The officer informs Jamie's father, Eddie (an incredible Stephen Graham) they're arresting Jamie for murder and that he must refrain from interfering  or he'll also be arrested. The formidable acting, particularly by Cooper and Graham are superb. Graham was also a co-screenwriter on ADOLESCENCE. Jamie looks like a frail, pre-adolescent boy. When Jamie steps out of the bed you see he soiled himself. His father is called back into the room to observe his son change his clothes. Then handcuffed and whimpering, he tells his dad he didn't do anything, as he's ducked into a patrol car and driven to the precinct. There's not a false note in this gut wrenching crime drama. Everything rings true from booking procedures, to official interrogations, attorney conferences, private father/son conversations, school interviews and the crime investigations. Walking through the throngs of students in the halls of the high school with the detectives there's a visceral response felt to the sounds/smells and stress from academia and social pressures of teens and overworked staff. (One miscasting was the best friend of the murder victim. She looked too old for the role.) Otherwise, this is a tense, terrifying drama. Every episode is compact and filmed with what appears as one long, seamless take. The 3rd episode struck a raw nerve with the family appointment psychologist conducting an interview with a charming then volatile Jamie now 7 months into his detention. The wheels of justice are  run slowly. This swift and efficient crime/drama runs the gamut of emotions in a memorable series that takes the lives of teens and their parents seriously. ADOLESCENCE is a disturbing watch that must be watched because the consequences for not acknowledging issues presently plaguing our teens are too severe and destructive.