Netflix just recently released a new limited series on their platform, titled “One Day.” The show is based off David Nicholls’ novel, One Day, that was published in 2009, as well as the film that was released two years after in 2011. The original film adaptation was starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, the series now stars Ambika Mod as Emma Morley and Leo Woodall as Dexter Mayhew.
When I had first seen this on Netflix I wasn’t even going to give it a chance, I was like no way this series can be any good as the original film was. I was certain I wouldn’t like it one bit, boy was I wrong.
The two characters first meet on July 15th, 1988 at their graduation party at the University of Edinburgh. They had never spoken before but after their bump in they go back to Emma’s apartment and they have an almost one night stand. Instead Emma decides that she just wants to have a nice meaningful conversation with him. They end up becoming friends only and the show follows their friendship for 20 years, and it always highlights their reunions on the same day that they met, July 15th which Dexter points out that it is St. Swithin’s Day.
It follows Emma and Dexter’s life and how their friendship breaks and how they reunite until they finally end up together. Their love story is a friends to lovers slow burn type, which made it even more heartbreaking that it took them years to finally live their lives together as they should have been since the day they met.
The show had a very similar adaptation to the movie, both were wonderful adaptations from the novel itself and it really broke all of the viewers’ hearts. Although I haven’t seen the film since about over 10 years ago, I remember being so heartbroken at the final scene. I didn’t think that the show would catch me off guard since I already knew the plot. However the way it was filmed and the wonderful chemistry between the two actors, it felt like an even bigger heartbreak than the film.
The series allowed us to have more time with each character and it showed each event with more detail and depth. I absolutely loved watching their story in a different adaptation. Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall were the most perfect actors they could’ve chosen for this series, I honestly didn’t think it would get better than the film adaptation but it did.
I won’t include any further spoilers in case you are planning on watching it, and if you do I definitely recommend watching the film first and then the series.
