Series Review: Modern Love. Director: John Carney.
All the basic things in life are free. That is why they are very difficult to get hold of. They can't be purchased and no amount of money would equal their value. Love is one of those. In 'One Tree Hill', Nathan Scott (played by the handsome James Lafferty) goes to the extent of saying, "if you are lucky, I mean the luckiest person in the world, the person you love chooses to love you back". Even the most tangibly successful people spend their lives looking for something so simple and free: someone to love, in spite of the fact that love, the most beautiful feeling of all is manifestly available in the universe in plenty.
In Symposium, Plato said two halves were born as one. But, by the curse of God, the other half was split. Hence, human beings spend their lives looking for their lost half. The legendary American poet E.E. Cummings seems to second this thought when he says, "one's not half of two; two are the halves of one". Rumi, the Shakespeare of the East said, "all we want is love's devastating joy". Ancient love seemed easy, getting married, having children and raising them together. Love in that time was built on companionship, and gradual friendship. Yet, there were some great love stories written in that time and even greater were experienced. What made them great was a unique combination of taboo and purity. Taboo because people were bound by restrictions, and purity because in that forbidden love there was more purity and piousness than a conventional arrangement, just like the most unconventional love shared between Rumi and Shams of Tabriz. In a time when people would not talk of love and share stories and experiences, but monger hate, like John Lennon said, "we hide to make love, but violence is practised in open daylight'', Rumi, Shams and other pirs and saints gained sainthood because they could speak of the things no one else could speak of: love and kindness.
Modern day love is tainted, messy, complicated, lonely, heart-numbing and almost dolorous. But, modern day love is free. It is free from the idea of how it is supposed to be, free from the notion of between whom it is supposed to be and free from the dogma of how it should be demonstrated. 'Modern Love' streaming on Amazon Prime, directed by John Carney is based on eight true stories that have been written in The New York Times newspaper's column bearing the same name. The show portrays contemporary love spanning across different people, different cities and different kinds of love. 'Modern Love' is all about real people, relatable situations and pragmatic realizations as divorced from and devoid of the dramatic epiphanies shown in many romantic films.
Love in the contemporary times is a motley and an anomaly. It is demanding and non-demanding at the same time. Demanding because love can turn into obsession at any time, thanks to technology and non-demanding because everyone in today's times is evolved enough to understand that it is impossible for a single person to be the agent of holistic fulfillment. This is also a curse because in every relationship there is one person who loves more, who cares more and is more available than the other. This can lead them to expect the same of the other person, which is not always possible. For this exact reason, many people stop believing in the idea of love and taint that feeling entirely.
In spite of all these feelings, there are multitudes of people who believe in the idea of love and are looking for it indefatigably. 'Modern Love' is for these multitudes. Classic films like the Linklater trilogy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight) cynically analyse the concept of love where Jesse (Ethan Hawke) says, "people like to believe in love. It sells", but 'Modern Love' is an ambrosial reassurance for those who are still seeking their beloved. It is a series wrapped in soul, poured into eight episodes with eight different and relatable stories where the characters in each story deduce their own subjective idea of love and manifest it in their own unique ways. 'Modern Love' has a feel good factor and is sure to give the audience some beautiful moments with subtlety and without melancholy, much in line with Oscar Wilde's thinking when he said, "everything in moderation, including moderation".
The best part about love is that it differs from person to person and it depends on whom this love is shared with. The bonds of love between the unlikeliest of people, the way two people look at the same situation differently and take polar opposite directions, a couple facing mid-life crisis trying to breathe life into their relationship by trying to do small things together and ending up sleeping and ugly-snoring on the couch is very relatably portrayed in the series. 'Modern Love' is faithful in restoring the faith of the audience in all things lovely, beautiful and romantic.
The love of today's times involves the people of today;s times, and the people of today's times though not different in anatomy from their predecessors, are different in their psychology from them. 'Modern Love' also looks at the way these times perceives love and the various issues they are dealing with. For instance, the extremely intelligent Attorney at Law, Lexi who is bipolar and gets fired from her job because she is too ashamed to tell anyone about it finds comfort in her colleague who went above and beyond to ask how she was doing and gave her the much needed reassurance.
In an era where even love has powerplay and not caring about someone along with putting negligible efforts in a relationship is considered ''cool'', 'Modern Love' is a breath of fresh air showing that even though times have changed, love, kindness and undivided attention never go out of style.
Overall, 'Modern Love' is mellifluous, subtle, charming, funny, relatable and sanguine. It is a ray of hope for all the lost souls re-assuring them that everything will be okay and love will find them. It re-affirms the Ruskin Bond saying, "romance lurks in the unlikeliest of places". 'Modern Love' should definitely be watched.
MY TAKE: 8/10.
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Very well written , will definately watch the series, came accross various new definations of love
ReplyDeleteAmazing review 😍☺️👌
ReplyDeleteYour reviews are always so fascinating! <3
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