Brilliant, heartbreaking viewing experience. Give yourself over to this wonderful story and be ready for a genuine rollercoaster. Graphic intimacy in many movies and tv series often seems gratuitous and difficult to watch. I was immediately and pleasantly surprised, therefore, by this story which explores the sexual awakening and the ultimate love story between two young people. The scenes of their lovemaking are both graphic and beautifully choreographed.
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andrewchristianjr4 February 2022
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southdavid6 January 2022Another show lifted from the Guardian's Best of 2020 list was "Normal People", a show I'd seen hyped quite a lot, but evidently missed when it aired. I'm glad I took a little bit of time to watch the show slowly over the Christmas break, as, despite not being as salacious as I thought it might be, it has some truly wonderful performances.
In a small town in Ireland, two students, Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal) begin a relationship, which they keep secret from their school friends. The connection seems to end though when both regret Connell's decision to take a different girl to the debs ball. Months later, the pair reconnect as both attend Trinity college, in Dublin. Though the dynamics of their relationship has changed, their connection remains tangible.
What I liked is that I felt both Marianne and Connell were well rounded characters that didn't fall into stereotypes. Connell is the school star Gaelic footballer, but he isn't a "jock" cliché - in that he's bright, bashful and soft spoken. Though it is a stretch to see Marianne as the "ugly duckling" at any point, she's spiky and damaged but that mostly comes from her family, rather than her schoolmates. I knew nothing about the story going in, so was really pleased when we got to the secret relationship coming to a head in the first few episodes. The show then resets, jumping forward to them both at University for a few months and the ability that gave for the characters to reinvent themselves.
I don't want to raise one to knock the other, as Daisy Edgar-Jones is excellent too, but I've seen her in other things. Paul Mescal is revelatory. So vulnerable and open to showing that Connell is as broken as Marianne, even if he has been able to mask it more.
That it pierced the heart of this wretched old soul speaks volumes to the quality of the series. I'll have to come to the next Sally Rooney adaptation a bit sooner. -
silvana_popa27 April 2020It felt almost like reading a book where you envision the characters so vividly, you can almost touch them. The chemistry the two leads have, their acting, the cinematography, are all so well blended together, so seamless, it's palpable. A melancholy trip worth taking, if only to remind the ones past teenage years how vulnerable and all-engulfing a young love is.
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benjamin-shen-wang1 May 2020I lost so much sleep when I discovered this heart-warming, heart-wrenching, and heart-breaking masterpiece. It's uncanny how I can relate to such genuine and unexplainable attraction and emotion. Everybody should be so lucky to find a love like this once in a lifetime.
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I started watching this show, thinking it'd be another high school drama with pretty twenty-somethings acting out a middle-aged dude's regurgitation of every other high school drama. I figured that if it didn't suck too bad, it'd be good to have on in the background while I did other things. Instead, I found myself just stopping to watch. Everything about the show, the writing, acting, cinematography, design, etc. captures the tiny moments they way they feel instead of what they look like. It's like life. Beautiful, bland, and, oh, so painful.
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taylor-steed29 April 2020One of the most beautiful tv shows I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Incredible chemistry. Incredible written. beautifully heartbreaking
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rthomp-830 May 2020As Connell said in their last conversation 'why?'.
Connell and Marianne's tortured lives and relationship had been through many ups and downs. Their mis-understanding of each other's intentions had led to them breaking up before. This was despite them understanding each other better than anyone else and clearly being in love to those watching. Intellectually they were at a different level to everyone around them at school and were drawn to different things to them.
Finally, Marianne is learning how to live a life without her family weighing her down and without the masochistic streak that this had imbued in her. Marianne's mother has thrown her out of the Dublin flat and is living in cramped surroundings with Connell. In a sequence near the end with a friend they are discussing their plans for that evening. Her friend says 'did we get married and become 50 years old?'. Marianne replies 'I actually love it...first year me would be amazed. Look at her she's actually content'.
Connell is getting over his depression. Connell has become the star English student in his year and is lauded for his skill and achievement at a party as Marianne looks on.
They realise that the only times in their lives that they didn't feel lonely was when they had been together. At a New Year Party back in Sligo they show their affection openly in front of all their old school 'friends'. As the New Year is celebrated, they openly declare their love for each other in a straightforward way for the first time.
They are in love, happy and content for the first time in their lives. They have grown up.
And yet, in the final scene they discuss whether Connell should go to New York to take up the place on the creative writing course that he has been offered. Marianne says 'I've been thinking about New York, the offer.... I keep imagining you being there, writing'. This has echoes of earlier episodes when Marianne says she'd like watching Connell having sex with someone else and how she loved watching him play Gallic football. She has always wanted to please him and see him doing the best he can. Perhaps this is the key to the ending - she feels strongly that she shouldn't hold him back.
Connell is clearly reluctant to go, but Marianne pushes him saying 'there's been so much that's been difficult and hard, but this would be difficult and amazing'. She is trying to give him the freedom to do what he wants with his life and what she clearly thinks is the right thing for him. Is this her greatest gift of love, to set him free?
Connell suggests that perhaps she should come to New York with him. She shakes her head and Connell asks the key question 'why?'. Marianne says 'I want to stay here, I want to live the life I'm living...I'm getting better at it'. Whilst Connell is a (the?) major part of that life, the implication is that she wants Connell to go and fulfil is talent. For Marianne it suggests that the peace she has found in her life is what is most important to her.
Connell suggests that it's only a year and he'll be back. Marianne says 'don't promise that, you don't know'. Connell says 'I'm never going to feel the same way about anyone else'.
There are strong echoes of the film Cinema Paradiso in this ending for Connell. Is it more important to pursue your passion in life, your talent (creative writing in Connell's case) or should you potentially sacrifice all of that for the love of your life? If you can't have both, which should you choose?
What we are left with is the strong sense that Connell will go to New York and pursue his creative dream; that their relationship has reached its pinnacle and is the greatest love they will experience in their lifetimes. They have found their safe place to return to in their minds if things go wrong for them even if it doesn't exist in reality anymore. They know what is possible and what to strive for.
However, in all probability they won't be together again. Not unless there is a sequel!
(The sequel to Normal People is a short story called "At the clinic'. This was written before Normal People and the two characters are the same and going through the same sorts of relationships with other people as well as with each other. I think it would be a mistake to carry on that narrative into a second tv series.) -
This series is fantastic. It's pace, the acting and the soundtrack all add to a beautiful simple story.
Having spent lots of time in Ireland with my partners family I know that this is an important social subject. Men/boys in the country struggle massively to express emotions and this does such a great job of showing how this effects life.
Amazing watch -
OrlaJacko26 April 2020Beautifully written characters and amazing acting. I LOVED this! I hadn't read the book this was adapted from but now want to and couldn't imagine anyone else being Marianne & Connell. Daisy Edgar-Jones' beautiful doe eyes and Paul Mescal's soulful gaze. I was mesmerised by the chemistry between these two. Very few love stories make my heart actually ache! I cried my way through 6 hours of this brilliance!
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Kirpianuscus1 February 2021I suppose, the freshness is the main virtue of this series about life. The freshness of story and storytelling and acting. An old fashion film, like one of the most profound useful refuges in the circle of eccentric or political correct projects. A story easy to perceive as a personal one. A great exploration of high school and college years. And lovely, precise, wise, splendid crafted definition of friendship. Using naturalism tools.
In short, a great series of the last decade.
And admirable example of storytelling and acting. -
gracedrane30 December 2020The first half of this show was so relatable and really was wonderful to watch. The cinematography was beautiful and the plot moves just quickly enough to keep it really engaging.
But once I got to the second half, I just found myself getting totally bored of it all. The complete lack of communication between the characters drove me insane and the situations used to break them apart just didn't seem realistic at all.
The characters would break up and act like they hadn't seen each other in years, when realistically it would have been a few weeks at most. It all becomes so melodramatic and over the top.
And the most frustrating thing is that it's never explained why Marianne's family, in particular her brother, is so vile. He's verbally (and at one point physically) abusive for reasons that are just never touched upon. Is this purely to create some form of sympathy for who would otherwise be a very mundane and privileged character?
Overall, it's a good concept which should have been half the length. -
SnoopyStyle19 March 2021Outspoken student Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is an outcast at school. Connell Waldron (Paul Mescal) is the quiet popular jock. His mother works as a cleaning lady in the Sheridan's large family home. The two Irish teens have a secret sexual relationship but he refuses to acknowledge her in public. Their lives and loves would intertwine over the years.
I have to be really honest. I was a little unconvinced at first. The actors are too old to play teens. Both characters have issues that put me off. Marianne is too bitter. Connell is too quiet and his treatment of her is emotionally brutal. By the fourth episode, the age thing stops mattering. Quite frankly if I knew they would be aging up in the show, I wouldn't sweat that issue. As for these characters, they really grow on me, both as roles and the actors. These young new faces are truly engaging and they are beautiful to boot. As characters, there are emotions beneath that are really worthwhile to explore. They become more and more fully formed people and that's the brilliance of this limited series. These are great characters performed by compelling new faces. -
b-n-r-228-53203526 January 2021Each to their own obviously, but the 8-10 star reviews seems a bit inflated to me. The first half of this series starts off fantastically; the story is nothing original but it's executed beautifully in pretty much every aspect. As others seem to have similarly felt, things start to tank about mid way through. The story drags, the choices made and communication between the two leads was annoying/unjustified and by the last few episodes I was really only watching to see how they ended it.
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The acting, direction and cinematography in this series is exquisite. Absolutely spot-on.
But the story and the dialogue and the characters... no. Just no.
I found myself wanting to shake the characters all the time. Just talk to each other, for crying out loud. How can two such supposedly brilliant people be so bad at communicating? I get that they're still young, but even so, why were they so awful at having a proper conversation?
The characters' inability to express themselves was infuriating. Connell mumbled his way through life, unable to articulate a single opinion. Marianne wallowed in her endless misery.
Their break-up at the end of their first year at university was particularly aggravating, involving about three inarticulate sentences and then that was it - they were over. What?! You don't just give up after three sentences - you continue talking and have a conversation to clear up the misunderstanding. Arrgggghh. *headdesk*
And these characters were supposed to be highly intelligent and literate?? Based on their conversations, neither of them seemed particularly interesting, so why were they so interested in each other - and for that matter, why should we, the viewers, be interested in them? There was plenty of *telling* that Marianne and Connell were fascinating and brilliant - their scholarships, Marianne's coterie of admiring friends at university, Connell apparently a fantastic editor - but we were *told* this, not shown it.
Crucially, those two never seemed to have any fun together. Why would you want to be with someone who doesn't make you laugh, who doesn't put a smile on your face and a twinkle in your eye?
And then the ending. Ah yes, let's self-sabotage the relationship yet again. Just go to New York with him, for god's sake, Marianne - you're rich enough, you can afford it. Marianne's reason for not going was because she was finally happy with her life. That's because you're with Connell, you eejit!
I'm just too old for this show, because I have zero patience - either in fiction or in real life - for the kind of stupid miscommunication and misunderstandings displayed here. If the characters had just had *one* proper conversation, they could have been together from university onwards and we would have been spared six more episodes that frantically contrived to keep them apart. -
MovieJunkie514 July 20202020 has been a strange and awful year even for cinema and tv but that's when Normal People enters the scene. It's arguably one of the best tv shows of the year. First of all I'd like to say that the sex/nude scenes aren't gratuitous. They're there for a reason, to convey emotions, a real and meaningful connection or in other cases a more superficial and frivolous one. The intimacy scenes are so well done and are nothing like Fifty Shades of Grey, like I've seen people write about. This tv show portraits growth so well, going back and forth, turning the tables ever so smoothly you can't help but to be with them, to relate and understand them. One of the things I enjoyed the most is the subtlety with which it lets the viewer get a sense of what they're feeling. The cinematography is so beautifull it's a feast for the eyes, playing with colors, upside-downs, light, every shot made with intention and so beautifully put. The cast was very good but Paul and Daisy are on a whole new level. Their chemistry, their capability of portraying so much with a simple look or nod, it's truly amazing and a delight to watch them on scene. They both have a great future in the industry if they desire and I hope the 2nd season comes out and fast! Really recommend you go see it, you won't regret it.
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b-9627828 April 2020Just finished the show, and oh my was it every bit as good as I had hoped it would be and so much more. The book is pretty divisive and I expect the show to be as well, but every aspect of it is perfect, and I don't say this easily. The direction, cinematography, editing, writing, soundtrack, acting. The last three episodes hit you with a wave of emotions and made me tear up several times and I don't tear up easily. In a perfect world, this would be in conversation for Emmy noms and potentially even a win for Paul Mescal and who is imo pitch perfect as Connell, can't believe this is his first gig. Lenny Abraham also deserves strong praise for his direction here, Hattie MacDonald beautifully takes over from him, but he sets the tone and pace wonderfully. It's only April, but I doubt anything else will top this as my favorite show of the year.
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nancyldraper14 September 2021This was an incredibly moving drama. One of the most tender and sad love stories I've watched (warning: nudity and sexual situations). The two primary characters are so complicated and vulnerable, I couldn't help loving and suffering with them, myself. This is beautifully performed, written and directed. Based on a book, of the same title (which I just downloaded on Audible), nominated for 44 media awards (Emmys, BAFTAs, etc.) and winner of 17. I give this limited series a 9 (superb) out of 10. {Drama, Love Story}
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jay-955781 May 2020This absolute stunner of a TV series crept up on me in the way only the best stories do. Initially it seemed like an honest but moderate enough coming of age story, however soon the sweep of time takes us further along in these people's lives. We watch them grow as their world around them evolves. The melancholy atmosphere, yearning soundtrack, Misty Irish setting and expansive time span lends the whole experience an epic quality, like a modern War and Peace. It feels incredibly rich for a series only 6 hours long and at times left me as an emotional jelly. Let it wash over you and enjoy.
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daniel3a17 September 2021An intimate, exciting and mature series with a combination of exceptional aesthetics. A series no less good than the book on which it was created.
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But when the perfect pallet of directing, writing, cinematography and chemistry creates the perfect colourful vision, you are left in awe and swept up into the unknown. Normal People is just that, the perfect concoction. You ache when they ache and feel everything they feel, you believe Marianne and Connell belong together quite simply because the chemistry between Edgar-Jones and Mescal exists, which is rare and it creates an emotional ride that most people can relate to...
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skam_platform18 May 2020This is a show about two children/YA who have a serious adult attraction/bond but are too stupid to ever actually just have a conversation about how they need each other and can offer each other support. They ruin what could have been because they are both too presumptuous/naive to discuss the reality of their situation.
Breaking up with your true love because you are going to be apart for 6 weeks and are obviously going to need to sleep with out her people is pathetic and childish.
I didn't mind the show but I was saying come on every episode. -
A-9023 February 2021I was really invested in the first couple of episodes but it went downhill from there. The lack of communication between the two leads made me want to rip my hair out. I also found it hard to believe they were meant to be so unusually intelligent when they could barely string a sentence together to express themselves. It was, however, well acted and beautifully shot with some poignant reminders about the importance of mental health support. Could have worked better condensed into 5 episodes or so.
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I watched this series in two days, it completely pulled me in and mesmerised me. I don't know what more a person could want from a love story, it really has everything. It's not an easy-breezy story either, there are parts actually quite difficult to watch and a rawness not many shows/films of a similar nature manage to capture, in my opinion.
Paul Mescal's performance of Connell was really quite remarkable. I empathised so much with his character and he handled the intense characteristics of his role so well, whilst also being extremely loveable and warm. Similarly, Daisy Edgar-Jones captured Marianne's unhinged nature heartbreakingly well, whilst also portraying a character whom I cared for greatly. I just wanted her to be okay so badly.
The series on the surface is unremarkable in terms of story; it's quite a standard 'love story'. However, something about the chemistry between the Mescal and Edgar-Jones, alongside the beautifully peaceful cinematography and music really sets it apart as something to experience and dive in to. It's so immersive.
I'm 18 years old and have never experienced a love and relationship like Connell and Marianne's, maybe I wont, as it seems like a real one-off, but it's something that I think I would like in my life, even if it comes with the less beautiful side. It seems like the purest thing a person can experience.
Gosh, really great show. -
marcell-karafa29 July 2022The whole story is filled with dumb and illogical decisions, 2 people love each other, find themselves time and time again and still are not talking about their feelings and thoughts which cause the complications and misunderstandings. If that is normal that one loves another person, and yet constantly be with someone else, who they know they have no feelings, what is abnormal? If one loves another person clearly, why being with pricks and get into humiliating relationships?
On the other hand, they're both like the best students, smartest in school & university, that "normal"? I guess the way below average emotional intelligence plus way above average IQ or academic capabilities equal "normal", otherwise I ain't normal, and hekk if ever want to be such. -
I think this story is about the "dream guy" who is an athlete, popular, fit, attractive while also being sensitive, a cultured writer and art lover. He is also emotionally and financially needy who happens to meet a wealthy, introverted, fit, attractive girl. Somehow these two exceptional people are unable to, at any point during this entire saga, tell each other that they love each other and want to be together...and then, you know, actually be together and happy. Granted I may be older than the intended audience but i hope that exceptional young people out there do a better job of being practical and recognizing what they cherish rather than trying half-measures of affection and longing stares into the void as a way to achieve the happiness they seek. Life is too short...