BBC Three’s Normal People Series: Does It Live up to Sally Rooney’s Best-Selling Novel?
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Normal People (2020) Element Pictures
Content Warning: Mentions of suicide and sexual assault
Some Spoilers Ahead
Last year BBC Three and Hulu released a drama series adaption of Irish author Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel Normal People. I remember being excited when I first heard the news, but also skeptical. I adored the novel and so I hoped that the series would live up to this realistic story of young adulthood. Since the series hadn’t been available on any of my frequented streaming platforms, I nearly forgot about it until recently when it became available on Prime Video, so I had to give it a watch.
The Story
The 12-episode series was directed by Lenny Abrahamson (Frank [2014], Room [2015]) and Hettie Macdonald (“Blink” Doctor Who [2007], Beautiful Thing [1996]). It follows Rooney’s story of Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal) who are two individuals with different backgrounds living in a small town in Ireland. Marianne lives in a big house with her cold mother (Aislin McGuckin) and troubled brother (Frank Blake). Connell lives in a small house with his mother Lorraine: a young mother with a warm understanding about her. Lorraine cleans the Sheridan’s house for work which is how Marianne and Connell cross paths outside of school.
Throughout the story, we follow these two individuals through their last year of high school and throughout university as their relationship twists and turns. We watch them live through these most vulnerable years of having one foot in childhood and the other in adulthood: new friendships and romantic relationships; moving in and out of your parents’ home; depression; sex; university essays; anxiety; alcohol; therapy.
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Sally Rooney’s story is so raw and beautiful. It is a wonderful portrayal of complicated young relationships with others and with oneself. The story is heart-warming and breaking; it is messy and magical.
Normal People (2020) Element Pictures
I believe that this beautifully messy story was well adapted into the series. Abrahamson and Macdonald had a very realistic directing style, which I personally love. Leaving spaces for silence, breathing, thinking and outside sounds creates an experience for the viewer to feel closer to what is taking place on the screen. It makes characters, interactions and moments feel more human. The cinematography was simple and mostly gloomy which was perfectly effective. Notable visually breathtaking scenes took place on the coast of Ireland, the countryside of Trieste, Italy and the snowy streets of Sweden.
The casting for this series was spot on, in my opinion. The actors, especially the two leading roles, looked so similar to the faces I created in my head while reading the novel. This can also be said for Marianne’s family and university friends. While watching the series, I had many déjà vu moments, which speaks highly to Rooney’s descriptive writing and the directors’ interpretations of this writing. You know that an on-screen adaption of a novel is good if you feel as though you have not only heard it but have seen it all before.
What Was Left Out
I understand that with any on-screen adaption, some things will have to be left out. Something that I was disappointed about was a sexual assault scene that was glossed over in the series.
In the story, Connell’s character deals with a female teacher being overly friendly with him in high school. Marianne even points out that she noticed them flirting and Connell is obviously uncomfortable with the situation. After Connell graduates, he runs into this teacher on a night out. He is extremely intoxicated and cannot defend himself from her sexual advances. In the series the woman kisses and gropes him outside of a bar; he is then able to get away. What differs in the novel is that while in high school Marianne offers to make an anonymous report about the teacher’s inappropriate behaviour on Connell’s behalf. After graduation, on that night out, Connell ends up at the teacher’s home with not much awareness of what was happening. The woman tries to have sex with him despite his protests and, while they don’t end up having sex, Connell is left uncomfortable and disturbed. In a later scene, he opens up to Marianne about what happened that night.
Normal People (2020) Element Pictures
In my opinion, this was an important storyline that should have been used more in the series. Male sexual assault happens all the time, but we rarely see it portrayed in the media. Having a realistic portrayal of a scenario such as Connell’s in a television series would have been beneficial in my eyes to fight this stigma and shame around male victims of SA. It was an important story to be told.
Final Thoughts
I do believe that BBC Three’s adaption mostly lived up the Sally Rooney’s Normal People. I think that an opportunity was missed to show a realistic storyline on men’s sexual assault but besides this, the series portrayed honest scenes of complicated relationships, sex and mental health. The series was beautifully made and moving, and I would highly recommend it to all along with the novel.
Grace Elizabeth
Grace is a Professional Writing student at Algonquin College who has a love for film and television.
