Normal People, the recent Hulu drama from BBC3 (currently available on BBC iPlayer), is resonating across the world right now. Even though it holds a special nostalgia for someone like me who grew up in a small town in Northern Ireland, the context is universal through time and culture. First love, romantic innocence and transition to adulthood through leaving said small town. It’s the show on everyone’s lips at the minute. A tale as old of time but told with a whole new aesthetic on our screens.

We meet Marianne and Connell in their typical Irish high school where class and popularity define their identities. Their unexpected desire draws us in and we follow as their lives continue to orbit around each other . Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal bring some of the rawest and visceral acting to the table (and we cannot forget to thank Sally Rooney for catapulting us into the interior worlds of Connell and Marianne). Daisy’s accent is spot on and Paul brings a delicate accuracy and sensitivity to his character’s complex emotions and eventual breakdown. Connell’s emotional incapabilities are remisncent of many boys I grew up with in Ireland and for those of us who remember being young women, we remember how much we wanted to fit in as teenagers and the intensity of relationships at that hormone-fuelled time. And well we can’t ignore the spacious, melancholic music that set the tone beautifully too. (Listen to the playlist here).

“I don’t know why I can’t be like normal people”

— Marianne in Normal People by Sally Rooney

But beside talent, the nostalgia and connection to this transitional period in our lives, we cannot dismiss how the cinematography and camera choices, as well as the editing makes this a great TV show, worthy of being the most watched in 2020 so far. As a photographer (who is married to a filmmaker!) the question on my lips at the end of every episode is ‘Why is Normal People so beautifully shot?’ The visual elements drive the narrative and help us feel and empathise with the characters to the deepest possible degree. Let’s consider 5 aspects of the cinematography that lead our emotions and journey through the tumultuous romance of Marianne and Connell…

1. Desaturated Colour Palette

Saturation refers to how ‘colourful’ the hues are. How bright and vivid the colours appear beside each other. In Normal People they have been drained away bringing realism and normality of the scenes playing out. It’s called normal people for a reason! It reveals the mundanity of life punctuated by moments of passion and romance. We’re see things almost in grey, the lines are blurred, their intentions unsure. The tones and colour palette laments - I can’t live with or without you.

2. Hovering camera movements

It’s subtle but hand-held cameras are used to make us feel on edge but the movement here is more gentle - a wavering from side to side. It gave me the feeling of uncertainty (and boy is there enough of that between the characters). These camera choreography instead of creating a sense of uneasiness invites the viewer to look and feel more closely into the moment we’re sharing with the characters. It is more a haunting linger on the emotions of the scene and as the words are delicately delivered by Marrianne and Connell, we’re in the midst of the messiness and intensity with them. It’s not used too often otherwise we might feel a bit queasy but is definitely one of the reasons we empathise so deeply with these protagonists. Sometimes the camera lingers on a subtle detail like rain on the car window, like the characters trying to divert their attention from the awkward conversation.

3. Camera Angles

I don’t know if you noticed but there are intimate close up shots often from slightly above or behind someone’s head. It almost makes us feel that we are inside their thoughts (maybe that we know what they’re feeling better than they do) and may have our thoughts racing with what we do or say in a similar situation (there is just so much left unsaid!). It brings us close into the subtleties of the emotions, give us a sense of what they may not be revealing to the other party.

4. Lighting

The lighting in Normal People is mainly very natural, sometimes cool with a nice, warm orange tint to the Italian scenes. There are some nice opportunistic moments when Marianne is rim lit walking down the street after a hard day at school. Her head glows but her face in shadow. Maybe we see her strength and goodness but she is lost in her shadow-self. We don’t see the depth of her lack of self-confidence and self-loathing until much later on.

5. Sense of Realism

Other TV shows have been brave enough to get a little artistic and use more unusual cinematography like The End of the F**king World and Sex Education (highly recommend both!) They have very similar coming of age narratives but very different moods and style with the later very punchy and saturated in tone. These are more punchy shows with humour and drama yet I think the appeal for Normal People is the opposite. The mundane aspects of life and relationships are explored, possible mirroring our own mundane routines during the pandemic and boredom and frustration of staying at home. Whereas these other shows are more surreal, Normal People brings a heightened realism that maybe we’re all connecting to right now.

Well there’s my thoughts, do you agree? Are there any other aesthetic and visual elements of Normal People that enhanced the viewing experience for you? It’s such a sublime example when form, colour and content come together in a magnificent harmonious way, creating the right atmosphere and making the audience undeniably feel the depth and complex emotions of each scene. Maybe this is why is Normal People captures my own imagination. To quote Marianne, “Would your feelings be involved?”

Photo credits: BBC/Element Pictures/Hulu and the top collage by myself.