Northern Lights

It's beautiful, heartfelt, hopeful, funny and sad all at once. I feel so lucky and grateful to have found this gem and to have gone on this journey with this ensemble of actors. Everyone involved truly did an amazing job, but especially the four main leads. This really touched me so deeply that I won't be able to stop thinking about this show for a long while. I literally cannot stop crying as I type this and the credits roll. I will be recommending this to everyone I know because it has a special and rare quality not found in so many shows today. There isn't a car chase, or a big explosion, or other type of adrenaline pumping scene, but that's why I found it so special. It's the intimate conversations and storytelling that I connected with most. To do that so well, that is rare.

The show is heartfelt and real. It deals with real and sad life issues in a wonderfully sympathetic way. The characters are well constructed and complex. The acting is credible and engaging. It showcases the talent and abilities of Irish actors, writers and directors when given credible material to work with. The quality of the actors is what made the show such an emotional rollercoaster and such a pleasure to watch. No surprise this show was nominated for an IFTA. It was very deserving. I hope it runs for a Season 2 and we get to see these wonderful actors again in it and other future pieces of work.

The two hander was very well elaborated. The coincidences that enabled their dialogue did not seem contrived. It all flowed very well. However, as everything got fleshed out the story for me became less convincing. Both of the main leads seem to have fairly sociopathic narcissistic partners, one lost to suicide, one disappearing to find herself. In some ways similarly damaging to their respective partners. If my partner left to find themselves, return indeterminate, I would find it difficult to stop wondering if it would never happen again. While I am glad the obvious ending did not happen, for the above reasons, plus "what about Aine?" the ending that did happen was equally unbalanced and unsatisfactory. The minor characters were well developed and acted. Not so much romcom as Eric Rohmer, IMHO.

This looked very promising. And right from the get go their is a certain tone of melancholy but in a good way. And the plot as contrived at it is seems interesting enough. But there are two things that are unfixable. One is to suffer through that dialogue. It has been a while since I heard that wooden, that unnatural, unfunny and blend dialogue.

Second thing, sorry to say is the lead Stephen Jones. I do not believe him. His acting feels very deliberate, very unnatural. You can basically see when he is going into "drama" mode. Overall it feels to me for an attempt do deliver emotions rather than having them.

To end on high note. The female lead seems very capeable but she can't fix the dialgoue and she needs a better counter part. Also props to the set design. This could have been something but sadly it is a missed oppourtiniy.

So I really liked this show. It's not really a comedy though, even dark comedy isn't how I'd describe it. I might've chuckled a few times, mainly at the dad jokes. I thought the story was original and told very well. I like the way the story is filled in with flashbacks. We're never lost and the thread is easy to follow. Through their memories and conversations the story quickly takes root. It was sweet and touching and hits on very real points. These two needed the chance meeting to trauma bond but not in a tragic way. Unbeknownst to them, they were helping one another over some pretty large humps to the emotional breakthroughs they needed to try and move on. I thought it was well written with very likable characters. The bulk of the show happens over a weekend but we get years of the past with just a glimpse into the future. I don't mind filling in the blanks as to what I think their future will hold. Good show. Sweet and easy to watch.