Just watched this extraordinary series again (third time now!) and it never pales though as a therapist they drive me nuts (not dissimilar to Connell’s mother played by another favourite actor in always excellent Sarah Greene) I wish I could have been the therapist who worked with them both (the characters that is!) as there was hardly ever a more perfect illustration of the power of the inability to communicate properly so well illustrated . . . still there were tears raised . . . . beautifully acted and the ‘friends for life’ continue to fascinate as young actors (both) Towering piece of work Daisy and Paul . . .
"He put his arm around her waist. He had never, ever touched her in front of anyone else before. Their friends had never seen them together like this, no one had. In the pool the others were still splashing and yelling. That’s nice, she said. He turned his head and kissed her bare shoulder. She laughed again, shocked and gratified. He glanced back out at the water and then looked at her. You’re happy now, he said. You’re smiling."
NORMAL PEOPLE (2020)dir. Lenny Abrahamson, Hettie Macdonald
Why again here? Check out the previous entry where the soundtrack appears as if a fourth wall type of extra additional character so strong is the adaptation's use of contemporary music
I enjoyed this article review and agree strongly about the series’ use of music
Now lately I had been receiving meme clips from Hulu to my Facebook page for the brilliant Normal People and thus I decided to watch it all over again and what an astonishing piece of work it is. Principally for the work of youngsters Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones
The intensity and presence the two young actors bring to the story is just frankly astonishing. Workshopping the intensity of the feelings required over apparently a number of months showing the passing of time and passion of what it was like to be young and in love with such heartbreaking honesty they must have needed a long well earned rest afterwards for some not inconsiderable time. With a superb back up cast including the wonderful Cork actor Sarah Greene as the Mescal character’s mother, Lorraine, it is a tour de force especially from the two youngsters (his first role I think!)
But I rarely have been so affected by a soundtrack and the selection of music used is a hidden character in itself with a a depth that I was frankly blown away by . . . . . . (see below)
Soundtrack from Normal People
‘Warped Window’ – Anna Mieke
‘Did It To Myself’ – Orla Gartland
‘Hide and Seek’ – Imogen Heap
‘Horn’ – Nick Drake
‘Angeles’ – Elliott Smith
‘Hey Now’ (Arty Remix) – London Grammar
‘Only You’ – Yazoo
‘Locked In’ – The Lock-In
‘Drop’ – Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions
‘Undertow’ – Lisa Hannigan
‘La Lune’ – Billie Marten
‘Skate’ – Tycho, Saint Sinner
‘Make You Feel My Love’ – One Brun
‘Too Much’ – Carly Rae Jepsen
‘We Played Some Open Chords And Rejoiced, for the Earth Had Circled the Sun Yet Another Year’ – A Winged Victory for the Sullen
‘Metroma’ – The Sei
‘Dandelion’ – Jealous of the Birds
‘Rare’ – Selena Gomez
’99 Luftballons’ – Nena
‘Berlin’ – RY X
‘Scene Suspended’ – Jon Hopkins
‘Everything I Am Is Yours’ – Villagers
‘Strange Weather’ – Anna Calvi, David Byrne
‘Dogwood Blossom’ – Fionn Regan
‘Sometimes’ – Goldmund
‘If You Stuff It All Down Deep Inside’ – Department of Forever
‘Hate Dah’ – Super Silly
‘Dear SJ’ – Alex Gough
‘Never Ending Circles’ – CHVRCHES
‘Maybe’ – SOAK
‘Gimme Life’ – TNAN, Viktoria Liv
‘I Know’ – August Roads
‘I Never Got Off The Bus’ – Tebi Rex, Local Boy
‘Alone’ – 7th Obi
‘Deep Blue’ – Mango X MathMan
‘You and I’ – Caribou
‘Tell Me So’ – Herb Johnson
‘Highs and Lows’ – August Roads
‘Dance 4 Sorrow’ – Francis Lung
‘Go Wild’ – Friedberg
‘Nikes’ – Frank Ocean
‘Hazeldene’ – Royal Yellow
‘I’m Happy Without You’ – Ann Byers
‘Smoke’ – Gia Margaret
‘It’s Alright’ – delush, Strange Boy
‘It’s Okay With Me’ – Broadway Express
‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ – Nerina Pallot
‘Old Bear’ – Cloth
‘Klangfall’ (piano version) – Joep Beving
‘Groovy Train’ – The Farm
‘Cannibal Tree’ – Yenkee
‘Good Times’ – Ellie Mae Rose
‘Breathe’ – CamelPhat, Christoph, Jem Cooke
‘The Subterranean Heart’ – Mount Alaska
‘No Such Thing’ – Yumi And The Weather
‘Can’t Move On’ – Wild Youth
Greene is on record as saying that Normal People opened up a dialogue about consent which can be no bad thing, her heartfelt role at once unconditionally loving of her son but also deeply sensitive to his girlfriend’s damage is enlightened
