Critical Condition: Euphoria

Euphoria | Neon from Monday, SoHo2 from Friday

☆☆☆☆ “Boundary-pushing, real and exceptionally realised, HBO’s new drama starring Zendaya tracks sex, drugs and rap in the life of modern teens … Euphoria feels like a next-gen version of Larry Clark and Harmony Korine’s Kids, from 1995, but with even more inherent, life-altering risks given that today technology is often used to capture your hedonism and then have it transacted throughout your social group and often beyond.” — The Hollywood Reporter.

☆☆☆☆ “It’s a show that deals with addiction, sexuality, porn, body-shaming, drugs, sexual assault, toxic masculinity, self-harm and pretty much every other One Million Moms-angering issue you can think of … and that’s just in the four episodes available to critics. But, while bracingly frank, it’s also able to balance any shock appeal with surprising sensitivity.” — The Guardian.

☆☆☆☆ “The premiere careens so chaotically, and is so aggressively jarring that it would be completely understandable if viewers tuned out just to avoid the sheer stress of it all. But that would, as it turns out, be a shame. The following three episodes made available for review are much more focused and confident in their style … If the premiere is a dare for audiences to stick with it, the rest of the series seeks to uncover the truth behind each character’s tryhard facades.” — Variety.

☆☆☆☆ “As far as I could tell—a decade removed from being a teen myself—Euphoria accurately captures a social existence defined by texting, by dating apps, by PornHub, by dick pics, and nude selfies. And it does this while also inviting different perspectives into the conversation … Visually, Euphoria is incredible, from dramatic lighting, to gorgeous sweeping shots of teens on bikes, to busy and disorienting parties.” — Esquire.

☆☆☆☆ “Sam Levinson’s HBO drama bites off more than it can chew — or, perhaps better put, it bites off more than its audience will be able to handle … Euphoria’s unflinching depiction of heavy, gut-churning adolescent events adds up to an exhausting, exasperating experience.” — IndieWire.