We decided to rewatch Euphoria recently. And why wouldn’t we? It’s a fantastic show — and there isn’t much else to do these days.

Euphoria got some backlash when it first came out. Many argued, and to some extent rightfully so, that the show pretends to be raw and present the grotesque realism or growing up, but none of the characters act or speak like actual teenagers. Mainly, the criticism was this: Euphoria pretends to be realistic, but it really isn’t.

This is a false claim. Euphoria does not pretend to be anything; in fact, Sam Levinson himself (creator) has stated that the poetic environment and aesthetics are completely intentional and necessary. We’re not here to discuss why this is necessary; we want to take a different approach — how does Levinson make this poetry work on screen?

Sydney Sweeney is Cassie.

That’s exactly the word for it — poetry. Euphoria is deeply poetic and very stylized, but oddly, the show never falls to the usual style over substance problem.

First up — the storytelling.

For a show to be generally poetic and have such a specific tone and aesthetic, the story has to be poetic, too. If the core doesn’t shine, no sparkles can fix it.

What Levinson does here is bend reality. Not because he needs to, though — because he wants to. If this would have been an escape, a way to make a rather bland story more interesting, it would have been cheap and blatantly obvious. Levinson doesn’t fall to that: straight from the get-go, the story is stylized. The premise of this series is to develop a coming-of-age story based on a teenager with a serious drug problem — boom, hooked, it’s an immediate magical plot.

Levinson makes this work through the characters. Everyone is presented is a rather abstract way — they all have their stories, their past, their quirks, and things that make them out of the ordinary. The character flashbacks that come in the beginning of every episode are extremely important for setting the tone of the show and making the general atmosphere of the show work. As viewers, we believe the world because that characters we watch not only live in it, but create it. This in itself creates an awfully specific tone, one linked only to Euphoria, and engages us in the story even more. Because these characters live in a different world than ours — and to make that believable, they need to experience different things than us and be different people than us.

The narration.

Which links beautifully into point of focus #2. Not the story itself; rather, how the story is told.

Jacon Elordi is Nate.

Euphoria is written brilliantly. The storytelling and narration within the series is truly spectacular. The story moves forward inconsequentially; the flashbacks and flashforwards work for this and allow the creators to shape the show whatever way necessary and pace and flair it exactly how intended.

This furthers the feeling that what we are watching is, indeed, nothing more than a story. Perhaps this is also why Euphoria is one of the very few projects in recent years to makes character narration work. Levinson doesn’t want to distance us from the idea that what we are watching is fake; in fact, he wants us to realize it — he doesn’t want us to indulge in the fake poetic world he’s creating, but rather stand on the sidelines and simply observe it. It’s nothing more than a good story.

On a technical side.

Euphoria could never work if not for the filmmaking behind it. This is composed of multiple factors; number one is lighting. The soft neon colors work most towards further developing the poetry and general atmosphere of the show. The editing furthers the narration, the cinematography furthers storytelling, the make-up and costumes add a flair and shape up the environment — it all works together and very coherently.

The aesthetics are a key factors to this series. Because if it wasn’t for that — it would just be another unrealistic and tonally incoherent show pretending to be different, but not pulling it off. In fact, the aesthetics are a reminder that a good story is enough for a great film, but good filmmaking needs to be there to highlight said story — otherwise, why not write a damn book instead?

Hunter Schafer is Jules.

Euphoria works.

It works, mainly, because it’s unapologetic. Sam Levinson has a vision and executes that vision with no hold backs. There are no creative cuts taken, nothing is overly simplified and nothing is catered to the audience. Sam Levinson serves himself, as an artist, and proves to us that his skill is enough. Euphoria is poetic — that may be unusual, but the fact that it exists as is and is actually good should be enough of a push to make any filmmaker out there trust themselves to do whatever they want.

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Character analysis of Nate here.

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— Pouty Boy