Netflix’sAdolescencehas become a worldwide phenomenon, and that is partly down to the harrowing and close-to-life story and the incredible performances from its cast, includingStephen Grahamand young star Owen Cooper. However, as with most shows that seem to be a reflection of the real world, the miniseries has been the subject of online controversy, with some claiming the show race-swaps its story compared to the real-life case it is based on.
Adolescencecenters on a fictional family who are caught in a living nightmare when their young son becomes the main suspect in a horrific murder.The reviews for the show have been outstanding, and the miniseries is already garnering strong awards chatter, and talk of a second season. However, there have been claims that the show takes its story directly from a real-life case and race-swapped characters to prove a point. However, writer Jack Thorne refutes this in an appearance onThe News Agents’podcast. He said:
“Nothing is further from the truth. There is no part of this that’s based on a true story, not one single part. It’s absurd to say that this [crime] is only committed by Black boys. It’s not true. And history shows a lot of cases of kids from all races committing these crimes. We’re not making a point about race with this. We are making a point about masculinity. We’re trying to get inside a problem. We’re not saying this is one thing or another, we’re saying that this is about boys.”
Netflix’s Hit Drama ‘Adolescence’ Gets Promising Season 2 Update
The series has been the talk of social media since its debut two weeks ago.
Was ‘Adolescence’ Based on a Real-Life Case?
As Thorne and co-creator Graham have said on a number of occasions,Adolescencewasn’t explicitly written to reflect a single case or family, but several cases from real-life did inspire the story. While speaking previously about the show, Graham detailed how he was inspired to write the series after seeing several trends playing out across multiple news headlines in the U.K.
“There was an incident where a young boy [allegedly] stabbed a girl. It shocked me. I was thinking, ‘What’s going on? What’s happening in society where a boy stabs a girl to death? What’s the inciting incident here?’ And then it happened again, and it happened again, and it happened again. I really just wanted to shine a light on it, and ask, ‘Why is this happening today? What’s going on? How have we come to this?'”
Adolescenceis another show that takes a harsh look at the world we live in, a world where some people attempt to take away the rights of others, where one person believes it is acceptable to take the life of another, and where many people just find it hard to live from day to day. The powerful drama is one that should act as a warning and make some people reflect on what their own children are being brought up into, but whether it does that or just acts as a form of dour entertainment is something that becomes just another reflection of the times.
Source:The News Agents
Adolescence
