Teenage life is a war, and Adolescence is the front story. Netflix's newest series takes you into a universe where youth is not glory shots and sunsets, but a storm of emotions, forbidden dreams and mistakes that feels like the end of the world.
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Disclaimer: Apropos Magazine received access or a review copy. As always, we share our own impressions — unfiltered.
Six stars
If you thought that Euphoria and Skins had set the standard for youth drama, so think again. Adolescence taking the familiar coming-of-age format and tearing it apart, then putting it back together — ugly, beautiful and unfiltered. The series follows a group of teenagers in an anonymous metropolis where life is not lived but survived. Each character is an explosion of chaos and desperation, and yet it all feels brutally real.
The story: A mirror of a lost generation
The main character, 17-year-old Noah, is right on the edge between child and adult -- trapped in a world where adults don't understand and friends are only there for as long as the party lasts. The series portrays adolescent life with an uncompromising honesty, with social media, love, drug addiction and anxiety becoming intertwined in a narrative that feels more like a documentary look into a generation on the brink.
The spectacle: So real it hurts
The cast consists of a mix of emerging talent and established names, and they deliver performances that make it feel like you're looking directly into their soul. The lead role is played by a stunningly intense actor (insert name) who manages to balance between vulnerability and anger in a way that feels almost too close. The rest of the ensemble is equally strong -- no characters are caricatures, and everyone has a pain that drives them forward.
Visual style: Dark, beautiful and chaotic
Visually is Adolescence a mix of handheld realism and dreamy sequences that draw you deeper into the minds of the characters. The soundtrack is a perfect blend of somber beats and raw indie ballads, which feels like the soundtrack to a youth constantly on the verge of falling apart.
What makes it special?
Unlike many other youth series, Adolescence not to explain or judge their characters. It just leaves them alone -- flawed, broken, alive. It's not a series that glorifies or moralizes, but one that dares to show reality as it feels when you're 17 and think every election is a matter of life or death.
Verdict:
Adolescence This is not a feel-good series. It's a series that leaves you breathless, stricken and maybe even a bit shattered. Most importantly, it feels true. And that's exactly why you can't miss it.
5 out of 5 Apropos stars. Because youth has never been so raw and real.
