Nothing judges and prejudges a friendship better than time. As love undresses people’s bodies, so time, through the rivalries, conflicts and contrasts of friendship, undresses the characters. Because long silences, random gestures and invisible smiles are the pillars of a real friendship.
The series “One Day” follows the intertwined lives of the two protagonists, Dexter (Leo Woodall) and Emma (Abika Maud), starting on the day of their graduation on July 15, 1988 from the University of Edinburgh.
Dexter is handsome, popular and comes from a wealthy family. Emma is low-key, not particularly bright, cerebral and for the show’s requirements half-Indian. Despite their different backgrounds, they form a deep relationship that evolves from friendship to something more complex and intense over the years.
As they face the challenges of adulthood, their paths diverge, but their bond remains unbreakable. James pursues a successful career in television, climbing the ladder of recognition while also struggling with the pressures of his privileged upbringing. Emma, on the other hand, feels her passion for writing while successfully teaching at a school, captivating students, colleagues and charming the principal.
Throughout the series, their relationship is tested by various obstacles, including other romantic partners, career setbacks, and personal struggles. However, they continue to be drawn to each other, unable to fully let go despite the passage of time and distance.
The narrative explores themes of love, identity, ambition and the complexity of human relationships. It delves into the nuances of their connection, depicting moments of tenderness, passion and conflict as they navigate life’s ups and downs.
The narrative unfolds through a unique structure where each episode features Dex and Em on the same date each year, giving us snapshots of their lives as they grow and develop. Over the course of the series, we witness the complexities of their relationship as they face various challenges, successes and failures.
As the series develops, flashbacks reveal important moments in their past that shaped their bond, providing insight into their individual paths and the depth of their connection. Whether together or apart, Dex and Em remain inextricably linked, and their story serves as a poignant exploration of the enduring power of love and friendship. But everyone has different thoughts regarding the future of their relationship.
In the fourth episode which finds them vacationing together in Greece on July 15, 1991, Emma thinks regarding spending their vacation platonically, while Dexter has different plans.
A quote, heard in episode 10, from Dickens’ Great Expectations characterizes and runs through the whole series: “Imagine a momentous day erased from your life, and think how differently its course would have been. Think for a moment of the long chain of iron or of gold, of thorns or of flowers, which would never have bound you, had not the first link been formed on that memorable day.’
The One Day miniseries, released on Netflix on February 8, is a 14-episode adaptation of David Nichols’ bestseller. The same story was made into a movie in 2011 starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.
“One Day” offers a compelling narrative that spans two decades, capturing the enduring connection between our heroes once morest the backdrop of life’s challenges and milestones. It’s a story that resonates with audiences through its malleable characters, poignant themes and honest exploration of love and fate.
As the years pass, Dex and Em experience moments of closeness and distance, joy and disappointment. Their relationship undergoes significant transformations, reflecting the ebb and flow of life’s circumstances. The series delves into themes of love, friendship, ambition and the passage of time, offering a poignant exploration of human connection and the complexities of romantic relationships.
“We grew up together,” Dexter writes in some of his notes, and Emma’s accidental reading of them both touches and fills her with joy. Throughout the series, the performances of stars Leo Woodall as Dexter and Abika Maud imbue their characters with grace and authenticity. Their performance captures the nuances of our heroes’ dynamic, portraying the evolution of their relationship with honesty and emotional resonance.
In terms of format, the decision to structure the series around the recurring date of July 15 each year in the characters’ lives is an interesting approach. This format allows for a clear temporal progression while emphasizing the importance of specific moments in the characters’ lives and enabling the narrative to strip away the small and insignificant and focus on the noteworthy and important.
The cinematography plays an important role in establishing the visual tone and atmosphere of the series as it effectively captures the passage of time and the emotional development of the characters through the use of lighting, framing and camera movement.
Art direction contributes to the overall aesthetic of the series, including set, costume and set design. The art direction in ‘One Day’ successfully represents the various time periods depicted in the story, immersing us in the slightly evolving environment and lifestyle of the characters.
Overall, One Day is a moving mini-series that beautifully and tenderly captures the essence of David Nicholls’ bestseller. With good performances and simple cinematography, it is a must-watch for lovers of simple narrative romance, love and friendship.
A friend is a person who, over the years, has learned everything regarding someone and, despite all this, for some reasons that even he himself has not yet calculated, he can stand him, he can tolerate him and like him, because he may not has yet to be proven but we suspect from the indications that there are a lot more pieces of love in friendship than pieces of friendship in love.
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