
The Netflix limited series titled “Adolescence” isn’t about unveiling the identity of the murderer since that’s already clear from the start – it’s a 13-year-old boy named Jamie Miller who is arrested for killing his classmate. This four-episode series, directed by Philip Barantini, presents each episode as a single shot, providing a detailed narrative of Jamie’s experience at the police station: fingerprinting, medical evaluation, and legal consultation. The camera focuses on the system in motion while highlighting Jamie’s fear and vulnerability, reminding us that he is still a boy who was scared when the police broke into his home, even wetting himself.
The series doesn’t dwell on whether Jamie committed the crime; by the end of the first episode, it becomes evident that he did. The interrogation scene with officers Luke Bascombe and Misha Frank reveals security footage showing Jamie stabbing his classmate, Katie Leonard, repeatedly with a kitchen knife. So, Jamie is the murderer, but the real mystery lies in understanding why.