‘Skam’ and Its Groundbreaking Portrayal of Adolescence
Based upon the premise of exploring the actual lives of teenagers at Hartvig Nissen School in Oslo, Norway, Skam tackles the turmoils and truths of adolescence through the perspectives of different students. Each of Skam’s four seasons centers on a unique character: Eva, Noora, Isak, and Sana, as well as other individuals significant to that person’s life. In addition to holistically showcasing the collective intensity of the teenage-experience, Skam also shed light on universally significant social and political issues such as sexual assault, mental health, and religious intolerance.
That said, I’d argue that what makes Skam a truly remarkable work is its depth. An unfortunate number of shows about teenagers remain consistently superficial - it seems that as individuals grow older, they forget the complexity of their youths as they are bombarded by the struggles of adulthood. Consequently, much of the media centered around teenagers depicts our experiences as simplistic and monotonous. However, that is not the case. Adolescence in itself is a chaotic medley of identity and passion, and Skam is one of the few cinematic works I’ve encountered which recognizes that.
A significant contribution to Skam’s substance is the fact that we, as the audience, can see ourselves in every single character we encounter. We see ourselves in Isak’s reckoning with who he is. We see ourselves in Sana’s fear to let herself go after what she wants. These characters demonstrate the beauty in imperfect authenticity — I want to be able to connect to the art I consume.
Within the show, viewers are constantly confronted with the dichotomy between who a character is, and who they want to be -a dynamic which resonates particularly deeply in the context of one’s own process of becoming an adult. Through watching these characters struggle with their identities in the context of society, a sense of comfort can be derived. The act of becoming who you’re meant to be is not an easy one; it’s a grieving process, as we’re letting go of who we always knew - or believed - ourselves to be. Skam uses the universality of the very specific sensations of youth to compel its audience to explore the beauty of what gives us distinction without the typical barrier of the human fear of difference.
Skam also encapsulates a poetic existentialism in its commentary on the relationship of youth to the conventions of life and civilization. We witness many encounters between characters where they are bombarded with the weight of their humanity and existence. For example, in the episode titled in English “same time in a completely different place”, characters Isak and Even embark on a conversation about what it means to be alive and the potential implications of parallel universes, which overcomes pseudo-intellectualism and instead resonates as raw insight into their reactions to the seeming insignificance of themselves and their decisions.
Moreover, Skam carries a heavy emphasis on the absolute necessity of growth and change. Throughout the course of each season individually, as well as across the entirety of the show, we watch as these characters and their relationships to one another develop without bounds. This can be seen as a testament to the impermanence of youth in spite of its severity. It’s stunning to see the cohesivity of everything that happens to us, because while we’re living our youth it's often hard to make sense of our own chaos.
Therein lies Skam’s power and potential. It tackles the complexity of adolescence by showcasing the best and the worst of it. We watch as these characters endure heartache, injustice, and pain. As previously mentioned, an issue I have with a lot of shows centering on teenagers is their lack of substance — oftentimes, high school is painted as this beautiful experience, when that’s usually not the case. By recognizing the faults in every coming-of-age journey, Skam offers its audience a semblance of justice; it shows youth as exactly what it is.
The significance of accurate portrayals of adolescence can be defined in a multitude of ways. I would argue that part of the difficulty of experiencing our youth is a misunderstanding of what it means to be young. As we get older, when we reflect on our teenage years, we’ll be prone to forgetting the very parts we now wish we couldn’t remember, and I think that’s such a loss; we’ll never again fully grasp the best of our youth without remembering the worst.
Skam dismantles coming-of-age archetypes and redefines the standards of a genre with sheer artistry. Its significance will forever be carried in the impact it has left on a generation of teenagers.