Series Mania 2025 Review: PUTAIN Captures the Somber Drift of Adolescence

The Belgian series Putain became a local success, offering a portrait of urban adolescence set in Brussels.

Created and written by Frederik Daem and directed by Deben Van Dam, the story follows 17-year-old Gigi (Liam Jacqmin) and his close-knit group of friends: Rania (Hind Bouabid), Snokkie (Felix Heremans), Yves (Pierre Boeraeve), and Zola (Victoria Djamusala).

When Gigi learns that his mother Anaïs (Liesa Van der Aa) has rekindled a relationship with Fabrice (Roda Fawaz), her former partner and a fellow recovering addict, he demands she choose between them. Her refusal prompts Gigi to leave home. He finds temporary shelter among his friends, attempting to make sense of his shifting circumstances while moving through a multifaceted society.

Putain opens with a tone reminiscent of a Brussels-set 8 Mile, though without the rapping. The comparison is not coincidental: Gigi’s story is partly inspired by Brussels-based rapper Zwangere Guy, whose real name is Gorik Van Oudheusden.

He also appears in the series as Gigi’s estranged father Thierry, a petty criminal. After leaving home, Gigi briefly entertains the possibility of reconnecting with him, though the relationship quickly unravels, hindered by Thierry’s volatile nature and his disinterest in taking on a parental role.

The miniseries is structured more as a collage of events. Gigi faces social stigma at school due to his mother’s history with addiction, a burden that becomes more visible when he resorts to selling T-shirts for extra money.

Meanwhile, his younger sister Lisa (Laura Darnovsky) is entering adolescence, portrayed in a candid scene while being underscored by her mother’s emotional struggle with being absent during this formative period. Anaïs has became volatile since she boosted her work performance as a waitress by a line of coke which led to her firing on the spot.

Gigi wrestles with emerging feelings for his friend Zola, which he struggles to articulate or understand and turns them into a hostily against her. Snokkie drifts through the group dynamic, offering spontaneous, often absurd observations that lend moments of levity. After leaving home, Gigi moves in with Yves, who offers him a couch and fatherly advices. A man-child, Yves proves to be even more of an oddball than Snokkie.

A character that might once have been played by Tommy Chong, Yves carries the aura of a stoner detached from reality. At one point, he suggests he could get Gigi work on an adult film set, if only he weren’t 17.

In one of the series’ sharper comedic moments, Yves finds Gigi an under-the-table job to help him earn some quick cash. Gigi soon discovers the role is nothing more than a bricklaying position on a construction site. "You said it was illegal," he shouts from the scaffolding. "You're not 18, so it’s illegal," Yves replies, momentarily clear-headed.

Putain entered the international market bearing the label of a "Belgian Euphoria," courtesy of Deadline. While the comparison may gesture toward the shared rawness of adolescent experience, the series diverges from HBO’s overstylized aesthetics.

Rather than leaning into visual excess, Putain remains grounded in a grittier, more naturalistic portrayal of youth. Its lineage is more closely tied to Skins, operating within the British tradition of blending coming-of-age stories with the aesthetics and concerns of social realism. Tonally, it echoes elements of Belgian auteur Koen Mortier’s work, though it stops short of the same level of transgression.

What distinguishes Putain is its ability to stay rooted in the everyday while capturing the volatility of youth without romanticizing it. The miniseries resists resolution, instead presenting adolescence as a state of constant negotiation of identity, loyalty, and survival.

By refusing to impose clarity or redemption, Putain underscores the ambiguities that define its characters’ lives, offering a portrait that feels specific to its Brussels setting yet steeped in everyday challenges.

Putain has been awarded a special mention in the Panorama International competition.Visit the official site for more information.