One Day: Review
By Sioph Leal
Those who know One Day from the 2011 movie or the worldwide bestseller written by David Nicholls and fell in love with Emma and Dex will again join them on a decades-long love story. From the moment they meet in 1988, the night of their graduation, there is something between them that aches of near-miss longing yet a warming resolve to be near each other that lingers between them through their lives from that one fateful moment. It is an ordinary day, the day after one of the biggest moments in their lives, but it changes everything in the most normal of ways. It is the simplicity of the moments that linger and etch into the fabric of the story.
July 15th is the date that we follow Emma and Dex throughout the years and no others. It is fitting that we get no introduction to the characters and meet them as they meet each other. As Emma and Dex get to know each other, we also get to know them. It’s a strategic move on the writers and cements them as our guides. Any other series would focus on Dex and Emma’s respective milestone moments, but this series choses another approach that is true to the source material. It shows the moments leading up to or just after the big moments in their lives, showing the nothing moments are just as impactful. It never feels like an odd choice and fits perfectly with Emma and Dex’s story of not the right time for something big to happen. If anything, it is a testament to the series in every aspect, as we never feel we are missing out but are on the journey with the two characters. Everything from life and death to new jobs and big moves happens between episodes, but the reactions and closeness between the two leads keep it grounded and never wains in entertainment. It is normal, and in a way that is charming and nostalgic, that feels comforting.
Emma and Dex come from different worlds, but they never let it come between them. It is a non-factor. Emma (Ambika Mod) is from a working-class Northern family who has worked hard for her first class honours university degree, while Dex (Leo Woodall) is from a privileged background who strolled through university with no expectations. The differences between the two are shown straight away, but they are endearing, with no character coming across as arrogant or insufferable. Dex is charming, and Emma has a realism about her mixed with an incredibly dry sense of humour. From 1988 to 2005, we lived them, and it is a testament to the multitude of skills that Mod and Woodall possess to not only convey their characters' long journey but the different stages in life and during the in-between moments of their milestones and big life events.
The chemistry is palpable from the second the characters lay eyes on each other and carry through with every argument, normal moments, and intense longing. There’s a nuance to their performances together and separately that conveys a rich, deep yearning that will be felt like an ache deep inside mixed with a desperation to stay with them and want the best for them—even when they mess up.
Mod carries the comedy element perfectly balanced with a desire to want more and feeling dejected at what life has been, which gives a natural levity to the series and brings in more charm. Woodall is an expert at keeping Dexter charming, even through his more difficult moments of likability. During a dark period of his life filled with booze, drugs, and selfish behaviour, sympathy could have easily been lost for this character, but Woodall maintains a charming likability that keeps you rooting for his character in hopes he can turn it around. Even when the characters have no scenes or when one is absent for an entire episode, you feel their presence even if they aren’t spoken about, thanks to the beautiful and meaningful performances in which we watch the characters grow through the decades.
One Day is a beautiful story about longing, life, and how the unimportant can shape your lives. Despite the short runtime of some episodes, it always feels like enough, and you never tire of the characters, even in their darkest moments. There is a strange, calm sentimentality mixed beautifully with music by Vanbur that adds a haunting element for things that could have been or moments lost between our leads. The characters, their story, and the music will haunt you in every way possible, and you’ll be thankful to have seen the journey between the two as the limited series ends in a montage that conveys love, friendship, loss, and every emotion and event in between.
One Day will be available to stream on Netflix, February 8th 2024.