REVIEW: Sex Education (2019)
Netflix nails it with coming-of-age British drama
Quintessentially British, Sex Education by Netflix is a coming-of-age series beautifully portrayed with captivating visuals and a decently paced storyline. The series follows the high school life of Otis Thompson, a seemingly coitophobic youngster portrayed by Asa Butterfield.
Growing up with sex therapist mother Jean Thompson (played by X-Files fame Gillian Anderson), Otis is a quiet virgin boy who fears sex, but knows way too much about it.
The main arc of the series follows the “uncool” Otis as he teams up with schoolmate Maeve, excellently portrayed by young actor Emma Mackey.
Emma channels a hipster teenager of the ’80s, but one cannot unsee the heavy influences from Christina Ricci’s Wednesday Adams and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn in her portrayal of Maeve — who pushes Otis to start a sex therapy session for the school students to earn a quick buck.
The “sex clinic” rises in reputation, but with it brings very real problems that intertwine sex education with the lives of teenagers in the story.
While taking advice from a Netflix series would be the last thing anyone would recommend, the series pushes the audience to open dialogue — something that we miss in this age.
The series makes for some great moments and dialogues, and there are two things that really stand out: The creators show us many characters in depth, their issues and the problems they face — bringing them closer to real life. The other thing, is the stellar cast who deliver a constant and unwavering performance.
The two standout actors are Emma Mackey and Ncuti Gatwa, who portrays Otis’ best friend Eric.
This eight-episode long series is a quick binge, but entertaining nevertheless. It, like many successful English comedies, takes a well-researched topic and spins it into a powerful story with situational comic relief.
While I recommend this as a good weekend watch for everyone, I would urge youngsters in this country to give it a go to understand the general concepts of taboo in another culture and the lack of open discourse surrounding sex education in the society.
Watch it for the story and the visuals. But like I said earlier, best to not take life advice from Netflix.
RATING: 4/5
PROS: Visuals, Story, Character Depth, Subject Research, Execution
CONS: A few gaps that leave you hanging. Mid-series start to drag a little bit, but picks up.
All episodes of Sex Education available on Netflix on January 11, 2019.
