So, still talking about Adolescence?

Back when they were shooting the fourpart miniseries Adolescence ldquolike a passionate familyrdquo in a small town in northern England director Philip Barantini tells me ldquoWe thought the series would do okay in the UK Given subject matter and where itrsquos setrdquoAnd then boom Adolescence starring actorcreator Stephen Graham wonderkid Owen Cooper drops on Netflix March 13 2025 Literally everywhere since itrsquos been possible to escape a conversation on the seriesIncluding India with wellknown filmmakers wondering aloud onlinemdashif such a pathbreaking show could ever be possiblerisked locallyBritish PM Keir Starmer has already urged schools even UK parliament to screen AdolescenceBarantini says ldquoRight before getting on Zoom call with you I received a text message from Steven Spielberg saying how much he loved the show And that hersquos watched it twicerdquo Thatrsquos probably true for many like meA still from the acclaimed showReasons for the adulation around Adolescence as Barantini points out are kinda obvious ldquoTheme is global Kids now have their own parents and then the second set that is social mediardquoThe reference is to how the net has vastly expanded the debate between nature and nurture This would ldquoresonate with younger parentsrdquo more so because theyrsquore raising the first generation wholly growing up on phonesInternetTo think of it the biggest popculture worry for middleclass parents in the generation before say the rsquo90smdashI can speak for Indiamdashwas about how installing a 24x7 cable TV connection at home could screw up kidsrsquo academic resultsBarantini argues ldquoIn bedrooms yoursquod find us playing board games and musical instruments Now we donrsquot know whatrsquos happening in those rooms once lockedrdquoWhile advances in personal tech has deeply complicated human interactions itrsquos also simplified lives noIrsquom making this recorded latenight conversation with Barantini over video on my phone from the staircase of a loud bar Hersquos homeThe reason here is the longdistance between us The chat will be uploaded online without editsAs if it was a scene from Adolescencemdashthat movie geeks around the globe have analysed scene by scene for its onetake shots comprising the four episodes with zero cut and only multiple cameras following even flying while switching between characters My apprehension with everyone getting into the lsquohowrsquo of the onetake scenesepisodes of Adolescence is they may not care so much for the lsquowhyrsquo of itWhyrsquos the series shot that way Especially since itrsquos not a gimmick Seldom if ever does the shooting style get in the way of storytellingBarantini says ldquoIrsquom not the first person to do it Therersquove been some terrific onetake shows films Alexander Sokurovrsquos Russian Ark 2002 is a favourite Alfred Hitchcock did it in Rope 1948ldquoBut the onetake format doesnrsquot lend itself to everything There has to be the right subject matter and tone of the showfilm to justify itrdquoWith Adolescence Barantini adds ldquoIt felt like we could dip the audience into a moment of time for an hour then pull them out and dip them back in againldquoAlso audiences are incredibly smart Sometimes showsfilms become too expositional Being slightly voyeuristic forces a specific perspective on a subject when you canrsquot take your eyes off the screen joining dots on your ownrdquoAs it is the TV inevitably competes with a parallel first screen which is the mobile phone in your hands That there are no cuts in the motion on the second screen holds your attention through and throughHuge credit for which ought to be shared with the writers Jack Thorne Graham cinematographer Matthew Lewis and performers notably Cooper son Graham dad and Erin Doherty psychologist third episodeTheyrsquod perform the script like a play with a single take twice over the same day Technically you could match the cuts from various takes still ldquoItrsquod make our lives easier but wherersquos the fun in thatrdquo Barantini laughsAlso hersquod pulled off long takes and the camera wading through characters with Graham in the cast as well in Boiling Point 2021mdash brilliant miniseries set inside a restaurant I watched it on Netflix US ought to drop on Netflix India too And itrsquos not that the form does away with editors altogether ldquoCanrsquot just take the card out of camera and put it to Netflix you know You still line up scenes clip the two endsmdashstart and finishmdashplace titles play with musichelliprdquoAs per ambition results are there to be seen You simply canrsquot take eyes off Adolescence first scene onwardsmdashof the cop Ashley Walters arresting 13yearold Jamie for killing a girl Katie from his schoolThe only missing link in the miniseries is perhaps that it doesnrsquot devote an equal episode to Katiersquos family that lost their most loved one to a freak murderBlokes on Reddit are busier wondering whose postcard sized pictures appear in the opening credits of each episode I got Barantini to solve that eternal mystery for themldquoEpisode One Itrsquos Jamie as a kid Episode Two all the kids from school Episode Three Katie and Jamie Final episode Jamiersquos familyldquoThis is to signify how fragile we are as humans That these babies can grow up to commit such horrific act or get killed in this horrific wayrdquo Point proven perfectlyMayank Shekhar attempts to make sense of mass cultureHe tweets mayankw14 Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper