(Contains minor spoilers)
My Brilliant Friend is an Italian book series by writer Elena Ferrante, and has been adapted into a series currently streaming on HBO Max. The book, otherwise known simply as the Neapolitan Quartet, follows the lives of Elena Greco and her turbulent friend Lila, as they grow up in Naples post-World War II. From the time they meet at 6 years old to the final book ending in their â60s, themes of friendship, love, betrayal, violence, and politics are explored. Every interaction the two experience is colored by their shared history. The series completely immerses you in their world, each character becoming as real to you as those you know in real life. Ferrante depicts the most remarkable portrayals of Italian life as well as the universal lessons we can all take from it.
Elena Ferrante is a pseudonym, with only her editors knowing the true identity of the writer behind her works. While readers and fans have speculated about who she really is for years, I think her anonymity allows her to write with a stunning honesty that she might not be able to achieve otherwise. What little we know about her includes that she was born in Naples around the time her characters in My Brilliant Friend were, circa the 1940s. Her insights into the neighborhood of her protagonists arenât always flattering, and it lets readers in on the reality of Italian politics coming from someone who lives it without letting our interpretation of the novels be colored by what we know about the authorâs own experiences. This allows us as the audience to see the good and the bad that exist together in Naples, and indeed in the world at large.
The four-season television adaptation of the series is brilliant in its own right. The cinematography is stunning, especially the scenes taking place in Ischia. The original score perfectly captures the story. The characters themselves seemed to have jumped off the pages of the novels directly into the show, with each actor taking immense care to portray their intricacies and flaws. Elena is played in the first three seasons mainly by Margherita Mazzucco, and Lila by Gaia Girace. Their performances are stunning, and they truly capture their characters’ every emotion.
One critique I have about the show is that the actors arenât aged accordingly. The actors from the first two seasons were largely kept for the third season, which is supposed to depict them in their 20s and 30s. This makes it hard to fully grasp everything they are going through, because they still look so young. The show also makes the jump to season four with a brand-new cast somewhat difficult to adjust to because the characters look suddenly much older. However, I do think you get used to it, and the new actors all do an amazing job at continuity of acting.
One of the things I love most about the characters is how real they all are. They are deeply flawed and complex, making the immersion into the neighborhood that much more real. The format of the series being spread out across a lifetime reminds us that things arenât always cut and dry. Characters are likable one moment, hated the next, and back again. People weave in and out of each otherâs lives as happens in the real world. Their stories do not always end neatly tied up in a bow but are open-ended and continuous. Deep rooted flaws and insecurities arenât solved in one chapter but rather keep popping back up when you least expect it. It is in these ways that the characters are some of the most real Iâve ever read, and while I donât love them all I have deep respect for the way Ferrante doesnât try to smooth over their flaws.
Lila and Elena especially are two of the best written characters of all time, in my opinion. The circumstances of their neighborhood and upbringing deeply affect them both, and while at times they seem like opposites with Lila, never leaving her childhood home and Elena breaking out at first chance, they both embody strong female characters. Both go on to have successful careers despite their upbringing. While Lila is more typical of a strong female character- outspoken, always putting the men in her life in place- I think Elena also makes a strong case for being a strong and complex female character unlike any I have really read before. She is a deeply flawed mother, wife, and friend. She is a product of her time when women didnât have many opportunities, and yet goes on to become a respected author. To me, it is almost irrelevant that the two women are deeply unlikable at times: what matters is that they face similar challenges and experiences that all women do, and that they are truly well-rounded. Feminist literature isnât about representing women as these perfect creatures, it is about representing women as three-dimensional. Yes, they have flaws, yes they make mistakes over and over. To that I say:What woman doesnât?
The series has remained with me ever since I read the first page. I have recommended it to friends, family, and now to whoever is reading this article! The New York Times named My Brilliant Friend the number one book of the 21st century, and I wholeheartedly agree. Never have characters and stories felt so real to me as in The Neapolitan Quartet- book and show versions. I plan on reading everything else Elena Ferrate has written as she has great capabilities as a storyteller. I wouldnât be surprised if My Brilliant Friend is considered a classic in years to come.