Netflix’s “One Day”

A faithful adaptation

By Shanna Sivakumar

Starring Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod, “One Day” is a television adaptation of the 2009 novel of the same name, written by David Nicholls. If you’re wondering why that sounds familiar, that’s because there’s also an Anne Hathaway film called “One Day”—and yes, that was also based off of the novel and was released in 2011.

I’ll admit, the reason I clicked on the show was half out of curiosity and half because I was surprised to see an Indian woman as a romantic lead—a rarity in western media. And after doing a bit of background research, I found out that Ambika Mod, who plays protagonist Emma Morley, said a similar thing in an interview. Seeing brown women in lead roles—especially romantic ones—is still a scarcity. But Mod is refreshing in her role and brings Emma Morley to life.

Sometimes it felt as though the show dragged, especially considering its source material was previously condensed into a film. However, the show is able to encapsulate more of the novel due to its longer run time. I felt that it did a good job of showing the different years of both Dexter and Emma’s lives, but in its loyalty to its source material, the show seemed to move a bit slower than I would’ve liked.

The most memorable part of the show is definitely its tragic ending. Even if you watch the show knowing how it ends, it does not lessen the blow. I won’t disclose what happens to prevent spoilers, but I will warn any future viewers that it is sudden, so… watch at your own risk.