Normal People

January 20, 2021

Normal people is a show based on the book of the same name by Sally Rooney. It’s a limited drama series directed by Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald, starring Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones as the leads. It has been nominated for various accolades such as the Emmy Awards under numerous categories. It’s currently streaming on Apple Tv.

I am not writing this as a vain attempt to encourage you to watch the show but rather to appreciate the rare poignancy and vehemence that profound tv that I believe normal people is, can bring to the viewer.

I found myself pulled into the lives of Marianne and Connell from the very beginning and I didn’t leave their world for the next 6 hours. Normal people is an intimate show, from the close-up camera shots to the honest conversations, that are often reminiscent of the monologues that we perform for ourselves late at night.

The show has often been described as ‘raunchy’ or ‘risqué’ due to its extensive sexual intimacy scenes that are portrayed so organically that at times the viewer feels like the voyeur they are yet it’s the subtle glances and the conversations that make us feel overwhelmed by their sheer emotion and truly make it intimate.

As I was part of their most vulnerable and life-defining moments, I realized the reason normal people resonated with me was that it was not just a story of young love but also an engaging tale about how we can allow and learn to love and accept ourselves through the people that love us. A contradiction from the popular take on self-love being a prerequisite to loving others.

Some people come into our lives and change us and it forever, they see and help us grow into the people we aspire to be. For me, normal people is an ode to all these beautifully normal people in our lives.