and Absolute Intimacy
By Haoran Xia
Published on: DeepFocus
May 10, 2020
Normal People is a limited series co-produced by Hulu and BBC Three. Premiering on April 27, the twelve-episode adaptation of Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel invites viewers into the love story of two “ordinary people” through its cool color palette, refined cinematography, and delicate original score.
“Who is normal?” This is the first question the series poses. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that neither Connell nor Marianne fits the conventional image of a “normal student.” Connell is introverted and anxious, easily troubled by emotional subtleties, yet his sunny appearance and academic success render him the most admired boy in school. Marianne, outwardly sharp and privileged, is treated as an outsider for her abrasive demeanor, though inwardly she is deeply fragile. The seemingly confident Connell is riddled with insecurity; the aloof Marianne is painfully vulnerable. Two sensitive, uncertain individuals meet within a space both familiar and estranging, gradually discovering - through tentative gestures and emotional reconnaissance - that the other might be the “normal” person capable of making them feel safe.
High-school love is pure, unburdened by the complexities of adult society, yet external circumstance becomes the earliest adversary to their intimacy. As two outsiders oscillate between selfhood and collective belonging, they attempt to construct a bridge for their love to cross. But purity is often entangled with immaturity, and what begins as adolescent yearning ultimately dissolves. Upon entering university, both confront the frictions of early adulthood. In Dublin, Connell becomes the outsider, while Marianne acclimates seamlessly to her new environment. A reunion rekindles their unresolved emotions. Through missteps and mutual understanding, the two eventually converge again - only to find their relationship suspended before the uncertainties of the future.
Normal People is, at its core, a series about intimacy. Many narratives explore love, yet few narrow their focus so rigorously to the emotional exchanges, sensations, and sexual dynamics between two people. Where other series subordinate romance to broader themes, Normal People allows time itself to carry the story forward. It constructs a bridge for the viewer to cross, step by step, experiencing both narrative progression and emotional convergence. Dialogue becomes the primary vessel of expression - conversations that appear mundane on the surface but function as temporal and relational evaluations of their bond.
Late adolescence and early adulthood are periods when love feels pure, though inevitably tinged with social realities such as money, ambition, and status. As Connell and Marianne age, their conversations mature, revealing both psychological evolution and emotional distance. This transformation becomes the series’ most honest depiction of love. From arguments at the graduation dance, misunderstandings during their first summer apart, long-distance conversations, to the final choice between career and intimacy, the series charts their emotional arc with quiet precision. Their story mirrors the trajectory of many first loves, and within their missteps, silences, and negotiations, viewers recognize fragments of their own pasts.
Love manifests both invisibly and visibly: in glances and sensations, in words and bodies. Directors Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie McDonald employ an abundance of close-ups to capture micro-expressions and subconscious gestures, enriching the emotional density of the narrative. Sexual intimacy functions as another narrative language. From tentative exploration to eventual release, Connell and Marianne’s sexual relationship traces the evolution of their bond. Their physical encounters are selfless and tender, signifying absolute closeness. Over five years, this intimacy becomes sacred: complete nakedness signifies complete trust, and within that trust, each seeks the missing part of themselves in the other. Through layered interplay between detail, dialogue, and sex, the series constructs a multidimensional portrait of love.
From Before Sunrise - where Céline and Jesse fall in love through a chance encounter on a train - to The Fault in Our Stars, where Hazel and Gus find connection in mutual fragility, to Call Me by Your Name, where Elio and Oliver inscribe each other into memory and destiny, stories of first love share a defining trait: delicacy. The Before trilogy traces love from youthful idealism to the banal rhythms of marriage, where intimacy softens but does not disappear. Likewise, The Fault in Our Stars and Call Me by Your Name translate literary tenderness into cinematic form. Each of these works situates love across visible and invisible dimensions, constructing deeply textured emotional narratives. Their sensitivity reawakens our own memories - fragments of past and present lovers, assembling a dialogue between self and screen.
Yet beyond aesthetic subtlety, why does the love story of two outsiders resonate so profoundly? Because of its reciprocity - and its truthfulness. The narrative grants equal weight to both perspectives, allowing viewers to experience joy and sorrow from each side. This balance deepens immersion, positioning us within every misunderstanding and reconciliation. Their authenticity stems from formative family contexts, which shape their responses to love and vulnerability. Through time apart and relationships with others, both mature, ultimately recognizing the rarity and value of what they share.
Another reason Normal People stands apart is that it offers a process. Unlike many love stories where passion erupts and vanishes without consequence, this series allows reflection. Love becomes something to think through. In its closing moments, Marianne tells Connell: “I wouldn’t be here without you. I wouldn’t be me. But we’ve done too much for each other.” Is love not, at its most precious, the act of growing together - learning who we are, witnessing change, and evolving alongside one another?
Raised in the age of information, millennials may have forgotten the texture of intimacy amid endless digital interfaces. Yet the peacock-blue landscapes of Ireland in Normal People remind us that love’s smallest details - seen and unseen - are the treasures most worth preserving.
作者：夏浩然
发表于：深焦DeepFocus
二零二零 五月十日
《正常人》是由Hulu和BBC Three联合出品的限制剧集。于4月27日开播，一共12集，目前已完结。改编自Sally Ronney畅销小说<Normal People>，剧集《正常人》运用清新的色调、精致的镜头和细腻的原声带，将我们带入这两个“普通人”的爱情故事里。
“谁是正常人？”这是剧集向我们抛出的第一个问题。随着故事的发展我们发现，男主角Connell和女主角Marianne都不是传统意义上的“正常学生”。Connell性格内向害羞，对敏感的事易产生担忧，但因为阳光的外表和出色的成绩，成为了高中里的头号男生；Marianne内柔外刚，出身富裕，因为咄咄逼人的言行而被高中同学待为局外人。看似优秀出色的Connell实则缺乏安全感，而看似高高在上的Marianne实则内心非常脆弱。两个敏感又不安的人在一个陌生而又熟悉的环境里相遇，通过一次次的试探发现，对方其实是那个能让双方安心的正常人。
高中时期的爱情是纯粹的，没有社会的复杂性和其他欲望的参杂，但外部的环境成为了他们早期爱情的最大敌人。两个局外人在自我和群体之间寻找认同，尝试为他们的爱情搭建一座稳定的桥梁，但纯粹的爱情里参杂了不成熟，最终这段青少年晚期萌芽的爱情也不了了之。进入大学之后，两人都经历了早期进入社会的碰撞，在陌生的城市、各类社会人士和高强度的学业面前，Connell成为了都柏林的“局外人”，Marianne则适应了身边的陌生。一次偶然的机会，Connell和Marianne再次相遇。过去意犹未尽的感觉又一次点燃了他们之间的爱情。中途跌跌撞撞，两个“局外人”因为各自的命运认同和完全理解最终走在一次。但这段成年早期的爱情最后站在未来面前，等待他们的去留。
《正常人》是一部关于感情和亲密的剧集。主题为感情的剧集有许多，但《正常人》做到了将主题聚焦在两位主角的交流、感觉和性上。许多剧集虽然以感情为主，但感情始终是其他主题的辅佐，需要依靠其他主题或者故事线来支撑。《正常人》用时间推动故事的发展，仿佛为观众构造了一座桥梁，在一步步跨越桥梁的同时，体会到故事的发展和双方的感情交叉。在表现形式上，《正常人》里运用了大量的对话。表面平淡的对话其实是双方在时间和空间上对两人关系的揣测和总结。
青少年晚期和成年早期的爱情十分纯粹，但随着年龄的增长，这份纯粹的爱情里始终会参杂其他社会性因素，比如金钱和事业。双方的对话内容也随着年龄的增长逐渐变得成熟，让观众直接体会到这份爱情在时间上和心理上的变化。这份变化也是对爱情最真实的刻画。无论是高中毕业舞会的争执，大一暑假分开时的误解，分隔两地的远距离交流还是最后在事业和爱情之间的选择，《正常人》平铺直叙地为我们展示了他们爱情的弧线，而这个弧线则映衬了大多数人早期爱情的发展轨迹，在他们的选择、争执、误解和交流里，我们都能深刻地感受到他们爱情与我们故事的共性。
爱情的表现形式分为有形和无形，无形在于两人之间的对视和感觉，有形则在于交流和性。《正常人》的镜头美且细腻，导演Lenny Abrahamson和Hettie McDonald运用大量特写镜头向我们展示了故事主角在他们爱情变化途中的微表情和潜意识动作。这些细节的展现无论是在镜头还是故事叙述上，都进一步地增加了这份爱情的厚度，而不仅仅停留在平淡的言语之上。有形方面的性上，两位导演同样运用了大量镜头为我们刻画男女主角的性交流。从早期的试探到后期的释放，Connell和Marianne的性生活也是表现他们爱情弧线的重要媒介之一。他们的性搭建于爱情之上，每一次的性交流都进一步地告诉观众：他们对双方仍有感觉。他们的性是无私的、是纯粹的，体现了他们的绝对亲密。这份跨越五年建立的绝对亲密在绝对裸露的性中显得更加珍贵，因为完全裸露代表了完全信任，在完全信任的基础上他们在对方的身体里寻找自己身体缺少的那一部分。而完全信任则代表了两人的绝对亲密。两位导演通过在细节、交流和性上的交叉运用，从多个角度，为我们构造了一个立体、绝对的爱情故事。
在《爱在黎明破晓前》里，Celine和Jesse因为在火车上的偶然相遇，而坠入爱河；在《星运里的错》里，Hazel和Gus因为在支持小组上的交流，发现对方是自己“错误”人生的完美填补；在《请以你的名字呼唤我》里，Elio和Oliver在夏日的北部意大利相遇，最终将对方写进自己的命运里。这些集中描绘初恋和感觉的作品都拥有一个共通点 – 细腻。
在《爱在》三部曲里，我们也随着男女主角年龄的增长，体验了爱情从最初的甜美和纯粹到婚姻生活里的茶米油盐，双方的感觉和性也少了成年早期的那份绝对亲密，不过与《正常人》相同的是，《爱在》三部曲也运用了大量对话来推进故事的发展，时刻在有形的方式上展示两位主角的感情交流。在《星运里的错》和《请以你的名字呼唤我》（两部作品也都改编自小说）里，这两份对初恋的刻画与《正常人》有异曲同工之妙。三部作品都将初恋爱情的感觉和亲密放在了无形和有形的镜头上，从两位主角和感情的多个角度，刻画了一个又一个细腻真实的爱情故事。正是因为故事中的细腻，才唤起了我们记忆中的细节，那些与过去恋人或者现在爱人的记忆碎片，为观众打造了一个立体的交流过程。
但除了细腻的镜头和多样式的结构，为什么两个“局外人”的爱情故事会如此吸引人？因为这份爱情的双向性，和两位主角的真实性。
在剧集里，两位主角的叙述是平等的，我们可以同时体验双方因为这份爱情所感受到的悲与喜，从而不会单方面地倾向于任何一位主角。叙述上的平等打造了更强的代入感，一次次问题的爆发和误解都让我们站在双方的角度来感受。而两位主角塑造的成功也在于他们人物的真实。各自家庭的问题为两位主角奠定了性格基础，使得我们在第一时间能揣测双方在关键时刻，会对这份爱情做出怎样的决定。Connell与Marianne对于双方的了解，在那些错过的时间和与其他人交往的日子里，两人在这份爱情上的考量又进一步让他们更加成熟，认识到这份爱情和彼此的珍贵。
这也是《正常人》如此出众的另一个原因。他拥有一个过程。不同于大部分爱情剧集/电影，两个人之间的爱情往往来得快且激烈，但消逝得却不明不白，而《正常人》则提供了一个思考的过程。在爱、感觉和绝对亲密的基础之上，双方加入了对自己和对爱情的思考，为故事的塑造添加了可观性。故事结尾Marianne对Connell说道：“不是因为你，我不会在这里，我也不会是现在的我。但我们都对彼此做了太多了。”爱情中最珍贵的，难道不就是跟随对方的轨迹，一起成长，一起认识自己，一起见证生活中的改变吗？
成长于信息时代的千禧一代，可能在接二连三的人工智能界面上已经忘记了爱情的细节和绝对亲密的舒适，《正常人》里孔雀蓝的爱尔兰告诉我们，爱情中有形和无形的细节，才是最值得被珍藏的宝贝。