What You Should Watch If You Liked Sally Rooney’s Conversations With Friends (2022)
I absolutely love shows that take you on a journey, make you fall in love with the characters, and make you want to watch them over and over again. Conversations with Friends, based on the Sally Rooney novel with the same name, does this very well. Following the story of two college students who find themselves involved with a married couple, the show portrays love, heartbreak, and navigating life as a young adult pretty well.
If you liked Conversations with Friends, here are some shows and films you’ll like too!
Normal People
Another Sally Rooney adaptation, Normal People follows the lives of Connell, who is raised by a single mother who cleans houses for a living, and Marianne, who comes from a more privileged background and meets Connell when his mother is hired to work at her house. The show portrays their relationship from high school to college and after, the complexities of love, the relationship falling apart and coming back together, the importance of friendship, and the toll anxiety can take on life.
Normal People (2022)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
You’ve probably heard of this film by now. Starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey, it brings together Clementine and Joel, a couple with different personalities but a beautiful relationship. If you choose to watch it more than once, you will inevitably end up with strong opinions about the characters, their personality, and the message of the film. In a world where it has become possible to erase memories selectively, the characters choose to erase their memories of each other but meet again, feeling a connection but not being able to remember what it is. This film reflects the idea that to have loved and lost is better than not having loved at all, and leaves an impact you won’t forget.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
500 Days of Summer
Another movie you’ve probably heard of, 500 days of Summer is about Tom’s version of the year he met Summer, a girl he thought he’d spend his life with. He tries to convince her to believe in love and, as all poets do, slightly glorifies parts of their relationship. The subversion of common tropes and portrayal of love as it happens makes this more of a story about feelings and unrequited, innocent love.
500 Days of Summer (2009)
Love Life
With 2 seasons on Netflix, Love Life has been described as raw, hopeful, and doubtful, and ‘TV’s best depiction of romance’. It follows Darby as she navigates love and life, gets through the challenges life throws at her, and carries a charm that hooks you throughout the seasons. Love Life feels realistic and comfortable, and is perfect if you need something to watch with friends on a Friday night!
Love Life (2020)