Normal People
Finished the book as I was watching this. The book definitely has elements and certain descriptions of emotions I’ve never seen translated before, so this really did the best it could to depict those descriptions. I was pretty surprised how direct this was from the book at certain times. They kind of had to make them say things in person that they just thought in the book, but I’m honestly glad it was done that way. I also respect the changes they did make at many points, like the ending.
Having them plant the seed of their final conversation before their Christmas trip felt like a good way to let that sit. The ending hit just as hard as the book for me. It’s really insane how much the trajectory of your life can change by being around another person. Of course romantically, but this reminded me that no matter the size or scale of a friendship or relationship, at pivotal ages of your life, the smallest things you pick up on can, in the long run, really make you end up somewhere entirely different than if you hadn’t met them.
These two depicted these characters perfectly. Amazing casting all around. Paul Mescal brought an emotional element to it that I felt Connell didn’t have in the book, and I loved it. LIFE IS TOUGH.