Normal People

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.

Outspoken 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.

One of the most beautiful tv shows I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Incredible chemistry. Incredible written. beautifully heartbreaking

2020 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.

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.