“One Day” is a new limited series on Netflix about an underlying love between two people managing life over 20 years, that pulls directly at your heart strings.
Extremely popular on the internet, “One Day” became famous for the amount of people who cried while watching. “Gonna be honest, never cried harder,” said Madison Kessler, a Rosemount High School junior and a consistent rom-com watcher.
“One Day” was released Feb. 8, 2024, containing 14 episodes. Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall) a troubled man and Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) a hesitant young woman, have an ever-evolving relationship with many twists and turns throughout their constantly changing lives.
This show follows Dexter and Emma as they struggle through life mainly throughout their twenties and thirties after college. From career choices to the growing conflicts of love interests, they can relate solely to their audience of younger adults going through the same issues. This show can also attract more mature adults as it travels through time starting back in the late eighties into the nineties.
The slow timing of the story can be “One Day’s” biggest downfall. Kessler said, “The storyline was a bit slow compared to other shows and movies I’ve watched.” Due to the fact that the story takes place over 14 episodes, the plot develops more slowly than the average movie, because it has over six hours of entertainment.
Even with the long development of plot, it allows for a connection between the audience and the story. Seeing them constantly, these characters not only become acquaintances, but close friends. By watching them grow and change we can feel proud of them, or even disappointed by their questionable actions.
Throughout the entire series Woodall’s acting is the highlight of the show. He showcases a problematic nature with an expanding character growth. Dexter was constantly dealing with addiction and trauma relying heavily on Emma to help him cope.
From Woodall’s facial expressions to his body language, he connects with the audience right away, crafting an emotional response for many empathetic people. As he goes through his many moments he can make the audience hate him or adore him.
The icing on the cake is the cinematography, making this show become a piece of art. Nick Cooke, Ollie Downey, Álvaro Gutiérrez and Jonas Mortensen, the cinematographers over the course of the series, are the main contributors to enhancing the show.
They make detailed choices like adding specific filters (almost making some scenes grainy to fit with the time frame), including a variety of perspectives to achieve the right emotions, to subtly adding colors to connect with emotions. These cinematographers make the show better, by making conscious decisions that help our subconscious enjoy watching.
This diligent work and all the impressive details, and emotional storyline, craft a show worth watching.