‘Adolescence’ is not just a technical feat, it’s a cultural wake-up call

More than a cinematic achievement, 'Adolescence' is a reflection on how modern society shapes young minds, sometimes with devastating consequences.

Published Mar 29, 2025 | 9:00 AMUpdated Mar 29, 2025 | 9:00 AM

'Adolescence' tells the story of a family, whose world was turned upside down, after 13-year-old Jamie Miller was arrested for murdering a teenage girl.

Synopsis: Netflix’s Adolescence is an urgent commentary on how young boys, feeling rejected and alienated, become susceptible to toxic online subcultures.

Netflix’s 2025 limited series Adolescence captures the formative moments of a teenager’s beliefs, making it a deeply political work.

By showing how toxic ideas take root and spread, the series forces viewers to confront the social structures that influence young minds.

It embodies Martin Scorsese’s idea that cinema is about both what it reveals and what it  withholds, turning Adolescence into a cultural and political reckoning.

This four-part psychological drama captures the raw emotional landscape of a generation  navigating the blurred lines between reality and digital influence.

More than a cinematic achievement, it is a reflection on how modern society shapes young minds, sometimes with devastating consequences.

Technical brilliance 

Adolescence is a masterclass in immersive storytelling. Director Philip Barantini’s radical choice to shoot entirely in unbroken single takes, pushes the boundaries of cinematic storytelling.

Each episode unfolds as an uninterrupted, meticulously choreographed experience, amplifying the tension and urgency of the characters’ psychological unraveling.

The third episode, in particular, is a harrowing study in power and vulnerability where two individuals are locked in a room, their conversation escalating into a suffocating confrontation.

“Technology should set us free,” Barantini has said.

Adolescence, paradoxically, shows how technology has done the opposite, ensnaring an entire generation in cycles of anxiety, alienation, and dangerous ideology.

By stripping away conventional editing tricks, the series forces audiences to sit with the discomfort, unable to escape the unfolding reality.

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A cultural and political reckoning

At its core, Adolescence is an urgent commentary on how young boys, feeling rejected and alienated, become susceptible to toxic online subcultures.

The series dissects the insidious influence of social media echo chambers, where frustration over rejection morphs into misogyny, and the need for control translates into violence.

The protagonist’s descent is not an isolated case but a symptom of a larger societal failure, one that allows discontent to fester without intervention.

Modern societies are quick to condemn the outcomes but slow to address the root causes.

The show lays bare how a lack of parental guidance, emotional education, and institutional awareness contributes to this crisis.

It is a call to action for educators, parents, and policymakers to confront these issues head-on rather than react only when it’s too late.

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Family dynamics, social pressures

The characters in the story are deeply layered, portraying intense emotions and struggles.

The fear of making a mistake, parental anxiety, and societal pressure lead to moments of tension and dependence within the family. One of the most powerful aspects of the narrative is how a teenager begins to lose his sense of self in his adolescence.

His conversation with a mental health counsellor is one of the most poignant moments in the story, revealing the depth of his struggle. His final, desperate question, “Do you even like me?” simply captures his emotional turmoil in a single sentence.

Another striking moment is when a female police officer expresses frustration, saying, “What angers me is that after everything that has happened, the conversation still revolves around Jamie. Everyone has forgotten about Katie.”

Throughout the story, there are subtle but impactful references to how the world perceives and treats women.

There is much more to discuss, but one thing is clear: this is not just a Western issue.

It would be a mistake to assume these struggles do not exist in our society. Reality shows us that the shadow is much closer to us than we think.

A stern warning 

This series does not ask who committed the act, but rather why?

A question it attempts to answer across four carefully constructed episodes. The exploration of gender dynamics in adolescence finds its sharpest focus in the third episode, where the lessons of the first two unfold into action.

The series subtly touches on multiple factors like unqualified teachers, overworked parents forced to spend less time at home, and the resulting emotional isolation. Deep-seated misogyny, shaped by a society that normalises such biases, emerges starkly.

The show ultimately serves as a warning bell about the digital-native generations.

Watching it, one cannot help but recall the case of the 15-year-old schoolboys in Kerala who  allegedly bullied a fellow student and drove him to take his life, only to mock his death with laughing emojis in their messages.

We, too, have real-life horrors that rival fiction. Many born under the same constellation of rage are still teetering on the edge, not yet criminals but simmering with potential.

They live among us with phones in hand.

Why Adolescence matters 

In an era where conversations around mental health, gender dynamics, and digital radicalisation are more pressing than ever, Adolescence is a necessary wake-up call.

It refuses to offer simple solutions but instead demands introspection from civil society, parents, and educators.

The series highlights the urgency of fostering emotional intelligence in young people before their worldview is shaped by algorithm-driven hostility.

This is not just a story about one troubled boy but it is about a system that continues to fail its children.

Adolescence is both a mirror and a warning, urging us to rethink how we engage with the next generation before they turn to the internet for answers that society refuses to provide.

This series forces a reckoning with the unchecked power of digital spaces, the erosion of emotional intelligence in young men and the dangerous gaps left by indifferent parenting and failing institutions.

Teenagers face immense pressure in school and society, but the gap has widened to the extent that we no longer even understand their language.

Bullying, which was once limited to physical spaces, has now shifted to the virtual world, creating even more distance between parents and children. Their “social media language” feels incomprehensible, making parents wonder, “How far have they gone from us?”

Body image concerns, self-doubt, and the overwhelming need to maintain an identity in a highly competitive world dominate teenage minds more than anything else. They spend a significant part of their lives trying to build and maintain their image, with ‘like’ counts becoming their new measure of self-worth.

This is more than just a technical feat but a cultural wake-up call to be exact.

If society continues to ignore these warning signs, the consequences will not remain confined to the minds of lost boys, it will spill onto our system, our politics, and the future itself.

(Edited by Majnu Babu).

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