Netflix's One Day review: The television series might be better than the 2011 film 

Netflix's One Day is a miniseries adaptation of David Nicholls' 2009 romantic novel of the same name. The 14-part limited series follows the blossoming friendship and romance between two people who interact for the first time on their graduation day.

A 2011 film adaptation of One Day featured Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess as the protagonists. The Netflix adaptation goes beyond the film to portray the two-decade-long friendship between Emma and Dexter as it is afforded the time to delve into the intricacies of their relationship throughout the years.

The official synopsis of One Day reads:

"After spending graduation night together, Emma and Dexter go their separate ways – but their lives remain intertwined."

Ambika Mod (known for This is Going to Hurt) plays the role of Emma Morley and Leo Woodall (known for The White Lotus) stars as Dexter Mayhew. The two actors portray the characters from the book superbly and keep true to their mannerisms while adding unique nuances.

The plot of One Day is known to many viewers who might have read the book or watched the film adaptation. However, the Netflix series has its own charm and portrays the story with great poise.

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Netflix's One Day: The 14-episode series examines friendship, love, and heartbreak and does justice to the plot

One Day follows the story of Emma and Dexter as they interact with each other for the first time on their graduation day, which is July 15, 1988. Also termed St. Swithins Day, the day signifies new beginnings for students as they embark on a new journey in life. It also marked a special day for Emma and Dexter as the beginning of a 20-year friendship and subsequent romance between them.

The pair who meant to hook up on their graduation day decided to rather remain friends after engaging in a free-spirited conversation all night. The two went their separate ways the day after.

Each episode of the series follows Emma and Dexter offering a glimpse into their lives as they transition from being young adults to people with a myriad of responsibilities.

Each episode in the series is almost half an hour long and offers a charming—and frequently very depressing—view on life, especially the tumultuous time of emerging adulthood, when people both grow and regress.

Netflix's One Day excels ahead of the film as Ambika Mod's Emma is more in tune with the book with her authentic Leeds accent. The will-it-won't-it-happen chemistry between Ambika's Emma and Leo Woodall's Dexter is mesmerizing and gets time to develop through 14 episodes.

The 14-episode format for One Day adopted by Netflix suits the theme and plot of the story better than the film adaptation. Since the friendship between Emma and Dexter stretches for almost 20 years, an episodic series has more time to do justice than a feature film.

The plot follows episodes in Dexter and Emma's lives throughout different stages of their lives with entire episodes dedicated to one character at times. Dexter experiences early success in his career as a TV personality, later succumbing to heavy substance abuse and a failed marriage.

Emma who does not come from an affluent background akin to Dexter, struggles to establish herself as a published author although she does achieve this later in life.

Both characters try and fail at love in their lives while being fatally attracted to each other at different stages throughout their lives. The two eventually get together before tragedy befalls the couple.

One Day does a brilliant job of portraying the reality of friendships and how they evolve as people grow up and deal with various problems that life throws at them.

While the love (both platonic and romantic) between Emma and Dexter is focal to the story, the themes of growing up, death, longing, and grief, are captured beautifully.

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Catch Netflix's One Day as all episodes are available for streaming on Netflix.