Euphoria; an intense feeling of happiness and excitement, sometimes caused by exciting life events, love, and achievements. However, being dependent on an object or another person to bring you into a euphoric state, can be dangerous, dark and damaging. HBO’s teen drama, Euphoria, explores the highs and lows of teen life, but is it accurate?
In Euphoria, stories revolve around a group of high school students, showcasing their experiences with drugs, friendships, love and trauma. The show doesn’t just show these kid’s lives, it shows the audience the pains and agonies through their eyes.
The show was created by Sam Levinson and inspired by an Israeli miniseries of the same name with a very similar plot. The series follows a group of seventeen-year-olds who spend their time irresponsibly taking drugs, with no parental guidance. Levinson had been a drug addict himself, and the main character played by Zendaya, Rue, is based off of his personal life and experiences.
But is the show an accurate portrayal of modern-day teenagers? Does it glamorize a drug lifestyle or realistically portray its dangers?
The Eddy decided to ask some students at Riverside to see what their thoughts were.
“The fact that it’s all relatable to teenagers out there made it just so good. I know for a fact that this is the sort of stuff that happens when you’re in high school, with such issues like drugs, trauma, friendships… but no one actually believes it because of shows that keep it on the low, and that’s what makes euphoria incredible.” – Olivia Harvey, grade 12 student at Riverside.
“The scenes that Zendaya had shot on Rue’s drug life were amazing; she deserves an Emmy for sure. And then learning that the creator, Sam Levinson, had problems exactly like the main character on the show proved how real and truthful the story lines were, and it proved that one person can flip somebody’s life upside down. It showed us the reality of why drugs can not only break a person but break the people around them and showing us how he was struggling with identity issues.” – Alyssa Sayers, grade 12 student at Riverside.
One can argue that this is a realistic portrayal of what teen life is like nowadays and that Euphoria is just showing us the truth in a straightforward, uncensored filmed form. On the other hand, some might say that the show is an extremely unpleasant experience, as teenagers don’t normally go through these situations at all. Drug use and nudity are some of graphic themes that appear in many episodes.
Another reason for the show’s popularity is the show’s cinematography, which is shockingly fascinating; each shot is beautifully done by incorporating many colours to set different moods and tones, shots that are slow-paced, zoomed in, run in parallels, giving the cinematography a very aesthetically pleasing vibe; the makeup looks and clothing style on the show have also started very big trends on the internet as well, such as wearing monochromatic outfits or very colorful makeup with lots of glitter. Watch it on HBO or Crave.
Photo courtesy of MXDWN Television.
