ADOLESCENCE (Netflix, première on 13 March) is one of those programmes that continue to take up residence in your head long after you have watched it. Written by and starring Stephen Graham, it is the four-part story of 13-year-old Jamie, who murders Katie, a girl from his school. The suggestion is that he has been radicalised by the “manosphere”: a word encompassing the glut of online content that promotes hatred of women and toxic expressions of masculinity.
But there are also hints that there is a generational problem with masculinity, too: Jamie’s father (played by Graham) had a violent relationship with his own father, and, while this isn’t revisited on Jamie, he still unconsciously teaches him a narrow expression of manhood, which Jamie experiences as shaming and ultimately harmful. Each episode is shot in one continuous take — an incredible technical feat, which gives the action an uncomfortably immersive and slightly claustrophobic feel, adding to the dramatic tension.
All of the performances are first-rate, but it is Owen Cooper, in his début role as Jamie, who gives an astonishing turn. The unpredictability of his switching between childish vulnerability and unhinged rage is absolutely chilling. We only scratch the surface of the malign influence of the manosphere, however, and its impact is hinted at rather than explicitly explored. This left me finding it a little implausible that a boy from a loving family should commit such violence, and that no adult in his life should have a clue beforehand of what he was capable of. His explosive interactions with the psychologist in episode three certainly indicate that this is a boy incapable of hiding his rage.
Adolescence is undeniably impressive, raising far more questions than it attempts to answer.
The Priests were, according to the King, “Mummy’s favourite band”. The Priests: Faith and fame (BBC1 NI, 16 March, and BBC iPlayer) is their story: three parish priests from Northern Ireland who made headlines around the world when they burst on to the music scene, after being spotted in 2008 by Sony’s Epic Records. They were looking for a priest to record the Latin mass, a “Pavarotti in a dog-collar who would sing God’s greatest hits”, but, after seeing a clip of Frs Martin and Eugene O’Hagan, and David Delargy, auditioning together, they decided to sign all three.
In their first year, they ended up selling more than the band U2. In an industry rife with egos, the signing of these humble parish priests was a transgressive act, and is probably partly what people loved about them, apart from their incredible voices. This was charming viewing, and a delightful story of Spirit-filled men called to a ministry that ended up being far more expansive than they could have imagined.
