The only thing more worrying than being a teenager? Raising one. Thats a take-home from new Netflix dramaAdolescence, which follows the aftermath of a 13-year-olds arrest on suspicion of murder. Its an exceptional four-parter driven by a desperate question: how could something so horrendous happen, and what is to blame?Jack Thorne and Stephen Grahams script avoids simplistic answers. Until armed police batter down the Millers front door to arrest young Jamie (Owen Cooper), theres nothing to separate them from any other family: two loving parents, two ordinary teenagers Jamie doesnt appear to be the product of abuse, addiction or neglect. Until called upon to act as Jamies appropriate adult during questioning, his plumber dad Eddie (Stephen Graham) has never even been inside a police station.So, what happened? What turned a bright lad whose favourite subject at school is history and who once happily spent hours drawing pictures at the kitchen table, into a sickening newspaper headline? Is Jamie even guilty?With technical skill and enviable performances,Adolescenceexplores various answers to those questions. Without hysteria or moral panic, it asks if Jamie was influenced by online voices, and whether he was a bully, or a victim of bullying. His parents Eddie and Manda (Christine Tremarco) ask themselves if theyd done enough to understand him, and if theyd been too uncurious about what was really going on behind his closed bedroom door?Over four episodes, each filmed in real-time as one continuous shot,Adolescencecolours in the background to this harrowing situation while telling Jamies story. The initial arrest and interview are followed by episodes set among his classmates at school, in custody, and with his family.In the first hour, the one-shot technique pays dividends by approximating the realistic feel of a documentary series like24 Hours in Police Custody. From the drive to the station, to the custody officers list of questions, to the fingerprinting and medical examination, it feels like an observation of real events.In episode two, which follows the pupils at Jamies school, director Philip Barantini (who also used the one-shot technique to blood-pressure-raising realistic effect in restaurant dramaBoiling Point), the one-shot is a feat of preparation, control and choreography. The expertise required to pull off the complex choreography of moving herds of children and actors around a school, is intimidatingly impressive.Episode four is similarly impressive thanks to the empathy-generating acting talent of Graham and Tremarco as Jamies parents. We watch as Jamies family attempts to get the day back after its derailed by a cruelly thoughtless act.Its in episode three though, that the one-shot technique really pays off, thanks to the remarkable work of the young actor who plays Jamie. Almost entirely a two-hander between 15-year-old Owen Cooper andA Thousand Blows Erin Doherty as Briony Ariston, the clinical psychologist tasked with assessing Jamie, it is a remarkable hour showcasing one of the most captivating performances from a young screen actor in recent years.Episode three is the hour ofAdolescenceI couldnt turn away from. First by casting newcomer Owen, then by entrusting him with a script this complex, and by guiding him towards this performance, Barantini and his team have done something extraordinary. It was just announced that Cooper will play the young Heathcliff in Emerald Fennells starry, Margot Robbie-led take onWuthering Heights. Thats sure to be the next high-profile role of many more to come, should Cooper choose to keep acting.Doherty too, is terrific inAdolescences third episode, but shes the solid gold frame for Coopers in-depth oil-painting portrait of a desperately confused, clever, sad and angry child. Hes singularly naturalistic, with a range so wide that its unsettling the same young actor who charmed in one moment can knock the wind out of you with shock in the next. Cooper and Doherty share Mamet-ish tennis match dialogue as Jamie tries to interpret and anticipate Brionys line of questioning, and its never less than compelling.The fact that its taking place like a stage play, in real time and in a single take just makes it all the more extraordinary.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Yes, were here to find more clues to the plot mystery did Jamie do it,whywould Jamie have done it? but theyre incidental to the fascinating picture the Cooper builds of the inside of Jamies head. To say more might spoil the experience, so well stop there. Be certain though, youre going to hear more about this episode and this young actor in the coming months and years.Adolescenceis by no means a perfect drama. It gives one character a speech lampshading its own sidelining of the murder victim which is perhaps intended to stave off criticism that like so many crime shows before, its used a dead girl as a prop through which to explore the male psych but a confession of guilt isnt an excuse.It is though, like all of Jack Thorne and Stephen Grahams collaborations (This Is England,The Virtues,Help) led by empathy, talent and a desire to connect people through storytelling. Ultimately, its a drama about grief not just for the dead child, but also for the one lost through the act of murder, and grief for the family that was shattered the moment the police arrived at their door.Watch it, struggle with its pain, start conversations with your own kids, be bowled over by its third episode, and listen out for the name Owen Cooper.All episodes of Adolescence are available to stream now on Netflix.