The two young actors who gave their all were in “one day”

Mark Moorman focuses on infinity. Today: the series one dayAvailable now on Netflix.

On that day of address one day (2009 novel, 2011 film, and now the fourteen-part series) It's July 15, 1988, the day Dexter and Emma first meet. Writer David Nicholls tells the story of their relationship over the years, going back to that date that marks the end of their study in the first chapter, but otherwise offering a cross-section of the lives of friends and lovers.

We know this model from the classic rom-com When Harry Met Sally. We also had to think often Ordinary peoplea brilliant adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel about the pain of first great love.

The series, with its half-hour episodes, seems to fit Nichols' concept better than the feature film, where we are transported emphatically through time with music and hairstyles. The characters Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have a radically different outlook on life. Dexter's privileged background gave him the feeling that everything would come to him. This is true until he confronts himself mercilessly. Opposite him stands Emma, ​​all stubbornness and uncertainty, with a head full of ambitions that she doesn't really dare to pursue. The unlikely friendship develops into a feeling that they can't live without each other, even though life constantly gets in their way.

Hindu

The role of Emma is played by young Ambika Maude, who you can call a discovery. The actress has parents of Indian descent, which is not discussed in the series, except in a line of dialogue in which she says that her mother is Hindu. We have to be satisfied with that.

References Chitra Ramaswamy from Watchman She gave five stars and said it was very special for her to see an actress she could recognize in such a huge production. This led her to ask: Why doesn't Emma's Indian background play any role here? While she knows from experience how that was a prevalent theme, especially in mixed relationships, in the 1980s.

This is not the only time when adherence to the novel's precise outline is not entirely convincing. By telling the story only from the perspective of the consecutive days that fall on July 15, we go beyond moments that are told only in dialogue. This elliptical style doesn't always make it easy to empathize with the characters.

On the other hand, there are strong episodes, from a difficult holiday in Greece to a disastrous visit by Dex to his ailing mother, while suffering from a massive hangover. The two strong young actors sometimes have to make do with superficial supporting characters. For example, we don't believe for a moment the character of Emma's husband, who seems to have been chosen only to play the opposite of Dexter. Are we to believe that Emma is so insecure in life that she wants to continue with this clown?

However, Leo Woodall and Ambika Maude, as two young actors who give it all, really win us over in the end.

one dayAvailable now on Netflix