My Brilliant Friend
The Powerful Books Come to HBO Via Italy
The first of the four beloved Neapolitan Novels by Italian writer Elena Ferrante is being made into an HBO series set to air this year. My Brilliant Friend begins with Elena Greco, an older woman who learns that her best friend since childhood and the brilliant friend in the title, Lila Cerullo, has disappeared. A writer, Elena begins composing a memoir of their history together, reminiscing about their friendship—the good, the bad, and the bitchy.
Set in Naples in 1950, Elena and Lila first meet in primary school during a dangerous time in Italian history: post WWII. As the girls grow up, their neighborhood, city, and country transforms as well. Throughout it all, the girls remain close friends despite their differences.
Directed by Saverio Costanzo, the eight-episode series is being shot in Caserta, Italy, the same area where the books take place. The story spans across six decades of turbulent social and political change in the country, including the rise of the Camorra (the mafia), the sexual revolution, and the change of a woman’s place in a male dominated society.
This powerful story has already been seen on stage in London. The world premier of My Brilliant Friend at the Rose Theatre Kingston opened last year with Catherine McCormack and Niamh Cusack in the lead roles.
And now HBO is bringing this powerful story of love, friendship, and self-destruction to the rest of the world.
My Brilliant Friend will air later this year.
