Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper are so wonderful in this series that they will leave you wanting for more. Donโt watch until you have enough time to BINGE watch, as once you get invested in the series you just canโt stop. Stephen Graham can do more acting with just his face and eyes that says more about his characterโs internal struggle than most actors can do with any eloquent speech. You can just feel his pain. Owen Cooper actually shocked me with his scene talking to a psychiatrist about what happened. He turns back and forth into different personalities right before your surprised eyes. He physically looks different (bigger and older) during his rage. It reminded me of the first time I saw Edward Norton act in the film โPrimal Fearโ in his last scene with Richard Gere showing Edward Nortonโs characterโs true personality for the first time. You just knew, โWow! This guy can actโ and that he was going to become a huge star. That is the same reaction I had watching Owen Cooper for the first time, in this series. Whoever did the casting for this movie needs to win a prize. Every single actor/actress was exceptional in this show and the casting was so perfect that you just want to see how each character develops in a sequel and find out what happens to everyone in a few years. I loved the directorโs style where he filmed in continuous motion of long scenes. It played out where each person could show their range of emotions and it felt so much more intense.
I teach school for this age students and the message that comes across in the film about how students are not able to deal with porn, the internet, conspiracy series, instagram , etc. They are in just day to day overload of information on screens and it is a real problem that our society is not understanding or taken action on. What you saw in the series as far as schools and students poor behavior and having no boundaries, is absolutely what is happening. Great series and hopefully society will wake up a little and start paying attention to what their adolescent children are being exposed to that is beyond what their brains can realistically absorb and understand.