I take my Letterboxd account seriously. Maybe, a little too seriously. If you don’t know what Letterboxd is, it is an app where you can review and rate the latest movies and shows you have watched and share your thoughts about them with the world. It makes you feel like you have your own little entertainment column in the New York Times, or like you deserve to be a part of the Academy that vote for the Oscars.
One Day was recently on the top of my Letterboxd, watch later list, like it probably is on yours too. Especially if you are a hopeless romantic that loves all things soppy, and where lines like, “dawn is for lovers and bakers,” come from. So, I clicked play.
I was in a perfect position. I had seen the movie, but it was a very distant memory, nestled somewhere deep in my brain and I hadn’t read the book, so I went in blank and blinded.
And let’s just say if I went in blank and blinded, and mostly cheerful on that random Thursday night I pressed play, I came out wide eyed, distraught, and profound. In the year of the Barbie movie, I know Barbie doesn’t need her Ken, but god damn, Emma needs Dexter.
The show is slow, and I was a little confused at first why all these long scenes were playing out low key filled with nothingness, but then post the show, I watched the movie for the second time, because I couldn’t get enough of this storyline that is basically the depressing version of When Sally Met Harry. In comparison, the show is slow yes, but it is the perfect and necessary balance of progressing a love for the characters not only from the audience but demonstrating the tedious and draining love Emma and Dexter slowly build upon to light an ignition. The storyline may be a little predictable, but no matter how foreseeable the ending is, it pulls on the heartstrings.
The movie misses so many details, there is no passion between the characters themselves, and no time to build a connection to the characters from the audience. All in all, watch the show before the movie or just watch the show alone and find something more beneficial to do for 107 minutes.
Now, let me get technical. Microcosm. It is a scary word that has an even scarier definition when you look it up, so I will define it in simple words: ‘something small reflecting something larger’. Now this is really taking my Letterboxd to a whole new level.
Ambika Mod, who plays the main character of Emma, for one is a woman of Indian descent which according to the 2023 Hollywood diversity report is the second least represented culture regarding female lead positions. But for two, is a woman of Indian descent, being sexualised on screen. This is a perfect example of microcosm, as this itself is a microcosm for how Hollywood is slowly (too slowly) progressing in their movie inclusivity.
I’ll give you one more little observation. In a current society where girlhood is trending, and woman are bounding together ever since the Barbie movie, this show is about more than love. It is so much more than a romance/ rom-com. It is about watching Emma grow from being in her 20’s, through her 30’s into her 40’s and seeing that in this time, she learns a lot. She learns to not settle for anything less than she deserves and she learns to walk away from something when it is no longer giving her happiness and serving her. All important messages for any woman to understand.
Emma is a microcosm for strong women that want to be loved but also know they deserve it in a way that is right for them.
Pop-culture, fashion, and entertainment are a microcosm for what is occurring in our society but at the end of the day, is just something to note. It is a small connection, that I enjoy finding, analysing, and thinking deeply about and love hearing other opinions on- so it is something I will continue to ramble about.
That’s my ramble.
Ruby x
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