Netflix's 'Adolescence' stuns critics with perfect score
Alona Yadav | Mar 13, 2025, 22:25 IST
( Image credit : AP )
Netflix's crime drama "Adolescence" has received a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by Philip Barantini, it follows a family facing turmoil after their son's arrest for murder. Critics praise its raw emotion, exceptional execution, and the one-shot filming technique. The series offers a nuanced examination of toxic masculinity in the social media era.
Netflix's crime drama "Adolescence" has captivated critics since its Thursday release, earning a flawless 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from seven reviewers, with more acclaim anticipated.
The mini-series, directed by Philip Barantini, features Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham, Christine Tremarco, Ashley Walters, and Erin Doherty. Co-written by Graham and Jack Thorne, the story follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller's family as they face their worst nightmare when their son is arrested for murdering a classmate.
While the premise recalls Apple TV+'s "Defending Jacob," critics praise "Adolescence" for its exceptional execution. The Guardian notes that its "devastating questions will linger with you," while Variety describes it as "gutting, raw and stunningly acted" with "dark and brilliantly written" storytelling.
The Hollywood Reporter singles out Graham's performance as his career best, and The New York Times commends the "superb" acting for its "varsity weeping and real sense of heft and verisimilitude."
The show's one-shot filming technique receives particular praise, with Rolling Stone noting, "because there are no cuts, there is no escape from the raw, difficult emotions of any given moment." The Hollywood Reporter terms this cinematography choice "audacious."
Critics appreciate the series' nuanced examination of toxic masculinity in the social media era, particularly concerning teenage experiences. The Guardian's Lucy Mangan writes, "'Adolescence' asks who and what we are teaching boys and how we expect them to navigate this increasingly toxic and impossible world when our concept of masculinity still seems to depend on boys and men doing so alone."
Variety's Aramide Tinubu adds, "This show unpacks the complexities of humanity and manhood and how the rise of the manosphere has so eerily and quickly permeated itself into the lives of young people through social media," further noting that "'Adolescence' highlights how we've failed ourselves and will continually fail the generations coming behind us."
The New York Times cautions that some viewers might find the narrative overwhelming, as it "evokes in the viewer the feelings of its characters: overstimulation, confusion, an increasingly powerful desire to tell everyone to sit down and be quiet for five dang seconds."
Nevertheless, critics universally recommend the series as essential viewing. Rolling Stone declares it "an early contender for the best thing you will see on the small screen this year," while the Guardian calls it "the closest thing to TV perfection in decades" and a "deeply moving, deeply harrowing experience."
The mini-series, directed by Philip Barantini, features Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham, Christine Tremarco, Ashley Walters, and Erin Doherty. Co-written by Graham and Jack Thorne, the story follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller's family as they face their worst nightmare when their son is arrested for murdering a classmate.
While the premise recalls Apple TV+'s "Defending Jacob," critics praise "Adolescence" for its exceptional execution. The Guardian notes that its "devastating questions will linger with you," while Variety describes it as "gutting, raw and stunningly acted" with "dark and brilliantly written" storytelling.
The Hollywood Reporter singles out Graham's performance as his career best, and The New York Times commends the "superb" acting for its "varsity weeping and real sense of heft and verisimilitude."
The show's one-shot filming technique receives particular praise, with Rolling Stone noting, "because there are no cuts, there is no escape from the raw, difficult emotions of any given moment." The Hollywood Reporter terms this cinematography choice "audacious."
Critics appreciate the series' nuanced examination of toxic masculinity in the social media era, particularly concerning teenage experiences. The Guardian's Lucy Mangan writes, "'Adolescence' asks who and what we are teaching boys and how we expect them to navigate this increasingly toxic and impossible world when our concept of masculinity still seems to depend on boys and men doing so alone."
Variety's Aramide Tinubu adds, "This show unpacks the complexities of humanity and manhood and how the rise of the manosphere has so eerily and quickly permeated itself into the lives of young people through social media," further noting that "'Adolescence' highlights how we've failed ourselves and will continually fail the generations coming behind us."
The New York Times cautions that some viewers might find the narrative overwhelming, as it "evokes in the viewer the feelings of its characters: overstimulation, confusion, an increasingly powerful desire to tell everyone to sit down and be quiet for five dang seconds."
Nevertheless, critics universally recommend the series as essential viewing. Rolling Stone declares it "an early contender for the best thing you will see on the small screen this year," while the Guardian calls it "the closest thing to TV perfection in decades" and a "deeply moving, deeply harrowing experience."