Euphoria
Synopsis
Euphoria is a 2019 American television series loosely based on the Israeli television miniseries of the same name. The story follows the lives of a group of high school rebels and clichés who take you on a joyride through their experiences with identity, mental health, addiction, trauma, complex relationships and a whole lot of philosophy. Even though the series technically comes under the genre of teenage drama, the storytelling and perspective is nothing less than a master class for the drama genre. While I can’t elaborate more about the plot without giving out spoilers, let’s just say that Euphoria is probably the epilogue to the show ‘Sex Education’ set in a dark parallel American universe.
Cast & Crew
Created and written by Sam Levinson of ‘The Wizard Of Lies’ and ‘Malcolm & Marie’ fame, Sam has done a spectacular job at creating this genre defining piece of content. The writing reflects Sam’s ability to create complicated characters and give them some epic character graphs while giving equal opportunities to all the actors for showcasing their acting abilities.
On that note, let’s take a moment to appreciate the ensemble of talented and young actors that gave life to some amazing characters. The casting was absolutely perfect and no one seemed out of place. Special mention to Zendaya, Hunter Schafer and Jacob Elordi for acing their roles so well that you genuinely start empathising with their characters. I truly believe that Zendaya is capable of winning an Oscar some day.
The cinematography and editing is one long masterclass session because every frame, every shot and every scene looks so different and unique compared to the previous one, it’s hard to pick a particular moment that makes you gasp. The world created for Euphoria looks like a parallel universe in itself, that is both dark and aesthetic.
Euphoria’s soundtrack, which has been composed by Labrinth, is as unique as its treatment structure and will haunt you and stay with you for a long time. Every track sounds so cool and intense, that it becomes really hard to visualise the sequences without Labrinth’s music.
My Take
When a friend suggested a teen-drama called Euphoria to me, my first response was a joke about the band. Little did I know that I will get hooked to the series so quickly that I’ll watch it twice in a month’s time. The show gave me a feeling of strange comfort because all the characters are grey yet so satisfying to watch. I was initially reluctant to watch Euphoria because one quick google search will lead you to believe that it’s just another teen drama which feels really cringey to watch as an adult. But fifteen minutes into the show you will realise how almost everything in life is connected and little incidents can really screw people up. I also felt that the series sensitively portrays the different kinds of psychological issues that come with your background and how it can affect your personality while growing up.
The series also includes a great deal of social commentary about the effects of the internet culture on teenagers and how social media is not just a platform anymore, but more of a coping mechanism for young adults. Every character arc comes with so many hooks and cliffhangers that every character’s story is a short thriller in itself. You would want to hate certain characters but their stories will get to you eventually and you won’t be able to root for just one person. The aesthetics of the show are so good that it has already inspired the mood boards of so many upcoming storytellers. Euphoria is a great balance of so many different things that you find something new and cool with every watch, it might be a shot, a piece of music, some deep ideology, an emotional moment or something as basic as a pop culture reference that was so subtly and beautifully cued in.
Disclaimer: The above review solely illustrates the views of the writer.