My Brilliant Friend - The Masterpiece You Need to Watch

[@yeahboy7465]

Elena and Lila relationship is probably the most complex relationship between 2 characters I've ever seen

[@rakshikaaphale3824]

For over 3 years now, my life has been consumed by the lives and stories of Lenu and Lila, the violence of the neighborhood in Naples and the many characters that brought this story to life. I find myself unable to go about my days without thinking about the books at least once. Truly the greatest work of literary art of this century!

[@ReginaldWrites]

I agree with you. These characters live with me each and every day!

[@soona22573]

I got goosebumps, you described my relationship with the work and with Elena Ferrante, it's the longest fever I had, and I keep re-reading the books and re-watching the series non-stop!

[@b1uwave83]

I need this in english subtitles please ❤

[@Tthatswhatshesaiidd]

I know right, all my friends and even professors mock me (in a friendly way) about the way I love the series and the books, because I just can't stop talking about my brilliant friend, even in my school papers! And it's been years!

[@theresistance3818]

💯 I couldn't agree more

[@juliang4874]

PLEASE make separate videos about the themes and characters, this show is too underrated

[@nicolebuuck4553]

PLEASE make the separate videos!!!

[@mermaid9422]

Yes PLEASE!

[@beckybnyc322]

Def 🙏🏼

[@katd1845]

Yes please!!!❣️

[@andreeasonda31]

Yessss ❤

[@Beanaleann]

This show and book series is completely unreal

[@graziagambarelli327]

No in my opinion is so real and a cruel story as life is

[@chaaaargh]

@@graziagambarelli327 they meant unreal in a good way lol.

[@graziagambarelli327]

@@chaaaargh there s nothing of good in this story no real happy end for no one in Add is clearly autobiography because Elena Ferrante wrote about betrayals abandoning and love deception and loose of sons in others book : "the days if abandoned" "The loose daughter".

[@celiayamile2444]

So beautiful !

[@Irene-mk3rx]

It's phenomenal, there were episodes where I had to stop and cry because it was so beautiful that I couldn't stand it.

[@BadActingWYIM]

so true. bless who ever made this show. i will never see anything like it again im sure

[@tag4995]

I'm so nice to find someone talking about the show. i feel so helpless with no one to talk to after watching the show. so many conflicting feelings about each character that change constantly.

[@piperita7557]

You're not alone 😊 You may talk to Italian people: most of us know and deeply love the show. We are waiting with impatience for the 4th (and last 😢) season, coming out next winter...

[@disbish5472]

​@@piperita7557 hello did it come out yet?

[@piperita7557]

@@disbish5472 it's summer now 😄 Next winter!

[@disbish5472]

@@piperita7557 thank you

[@piperita7557]

​@@disbish5472 hello! If you're still interested in it, the 4th part will start in Italy next week! Late better than never! 😅

[@jabberwock0176]

I never wanted a show to blow up more! Too painfully underrated

[@JodiMcClure]

The casting is exceptional, both for the girls and their parents. (Lenu's mother, Immacolata, oh my god, that woman's face alone is like a story of broken dreams!) I watched Season 1 knowing literally nothing about the show, and then ran to the library to read all the rest of the books in the series. It's great the show continues to present the books so beautifully, including the scenery and the music! It's so hard to get friends to watch this too, unfortunately the subtitles are off-putting to them (while, to me, hearing the show in their native tongue was the best part) I hope perhaps they'll put out a dubbed version at some point, maybe I can convince some people to watch it then. Thanks for the review, I fully agree it is a masterpiece! :)

[@piperita7557]

Immacolata is my preferred character too... Anna Rita Vitolo is a very good theater actress! Maybe you don't know that also the Italian version has many parts with subtitles, because the actors don't speak Italian but Napolitan dialect... quite difficult to understand for northern Italians, like me 😅 But with a dubbed version we'd loose the best!

[@lanottedelleuropa6769]

I've read the books three times and each time I discover new things that go beyond the story of the two girls. It's like the director Costanzo said: my brilliant friend is like a labyrinth.

[@49tonio]

Wholeheartedly agree since the moment I began watching from series 1 and the two younger girls. The acting performance of Gaia Girace is truly one of the best 'acting' performances I have ever witnessed in ANY movie or series, almost beyond belief and wouldn't even think she is acting at all. But on saying that, EVERY single actor is brilliant. I have never seen anything like it where every performance is top class, there are NO weak links - none at all. Even more astonishing is the fact that the two actresses who begin the entire story are as good as those who take over. And now we have the uncanny situation where the young Nastia actually (now she is grown up) looks like Lila herself!. 100%, best series by miles, far, far better than anything the UK or US can bring to the screen. One more thing before I forget...this series is quite possibly the ONLY one I have watched which is actually better than the book, and the book is magnificent!

[@piperita7557]

Italian TV series are usually very high quality series 😊... it's normal for us. Many actors are very good theater actors... but they aren't known abroad.

[@49tonio]

@@piperita7557 There are constantly new series here in the UK and NONE of them come anywhere near MBF. The acting is on another level, like it is really happening. I will say it again: Gaia Girace has in that series put in the greatest acting performance I have ever witnessed in 60 years of watching dramas or films

[@piperita7557]

@@49tonio totally agree, Gaia is a beautiful actress (better than Margherita, in my opinion). And, of course, MBF is one of the best Italian series we've never watched. We're waiting for the 4th... main actors will change: it will be a very hard challenge for them! 🙈

[@Hastdupech8509]

​@@piperita7557Now, they are not usually very high quality. We do produce some masterpieces, but a lot of it is rubbish, especially in later years

[@piperita7557]

Hello eveybody! The 4th (and last) part will come out in Italy next week... with 2 new actress, of course!

[@mariafortino3450]

The fact this series has never been recognized, acknowledged, or rewarded at all from any awards show, is a crime.

[@greatethiopiatube6992]

Not only crime its also total unfair world we are liveing

[@lidiamercier9974]

I learned so much about myself reading this series. Thank you for taking the timem to talk more about this wonderful experience.

[@ReginaldWrites]

I'm glad this series was as special to you as it was to me. Thank you for the kind comment!

[@braianramirez3337]

My fav series from 2022. The show just makes me feel like in trouble with my emotions and feelings. The way the characters are full of hummanity. Mess, complicated development. I'm just speechless

[@piperita7557]

I think the show makes most of us feel in trouble with our emotions and feelings... this is why it' so charming and beautiful 😅

[@bessdavies6440]

I'm currently reading the novels. I am Italian but live in the UK, and although the novels can be found in English, i wanted to read the originals. I got my mum to mail them to me and when I started I just couldn't put them down. Elena Ferrante writes with such lyrical rawness, I just can't stop reading!

[@betterd9160]

Hi, Im from America. Do you think that the main character would be considered a sympathetic character in Italy? I find her to have become selfish and hollow at the end of season 3 and the start of season 4.

[@piperita7557]

​​@@betterd9160not sympathetic: human and true... as every character in the series and novels!

[@luciad.6487]

@@betterd9160the common feelings towards Elena here seem to follow a kind of pattern. Younger generations feel more sympathetic towards Elena even though they don’t justify her mistakes, while older generations straight up hate Elena but I feel like labelling her as just “selfish” would be very reductive. There are some things that she does that most of us wouldn’t do and don’t agree with but we still understand where the motivation to act in a certain way comes from

[@rhythmofheaven1489]

Yes. Absolutely one of the best shows you’ll ever see.

[@fifi3649]

My Brilliant Friend is not just a story about a friendship. It's also a story about two women's lives, a neighbourhood, a city, a country, through the lens of different social groups, cultures and times. I advise anyone to read the books, or at least watch the show

[@Picolettto]

While I completely understand the way TV shows and movies are more easily digestible, this is based on what I heard to be a fantastic book that is also well worth reading. Reading another book of this author, which I believe was translated as something along the line of "The deceitful lives of adults", reignited my love for reading adult fiction.

[@ReginaldWrites]

I've heard good things about that book!

[@disbish5472]

Where can I watch it for free😢

[@ayatahery1427]

​@Reginald Writes as someone who read and saw the series the book are so much better and written

[@grahamhowes6904]

It is an extraordinary watch - brutal and difficult at times. There seem to be few relationships in the show that are happy. But it is truthful and unsparing of Men - and deep - as another critic said that is "as if Jane Austen got angry!" I am a Theatre Maker and also a therapist and have the deepest respect for the whole of this work of art and it's psychological depth. Elena Ferrante apparently stipulated that the leads be untrained and they saw 10,000 young women before setting on Gaia and Marguerite. Superb! And I enjoyed your acute essay - thank goodness someone is paying attention to this masterpiece.

[@ReginaldWrites]

Thank you for the insightful and kind comment. I've also heard about the condition of the leads being untrained, and I'm glad it worked out as well as it did!

[@makavelithedon.9466]

Yess finally a video essay on my favorite show. The things i would do to watch this show for the first time. Also the books are amazing!!

[@Zzzsleepzzz]

I picked this show at random on HBO max never hearing anyone talk about it and I don’t normally watch stuff with subtitles but this show was captivating and multi dimensional. They hold eachother’s opinion so highly, so protective of one another and yet they compete but it’s also their society comparing them. I like that both characters on driven to be intelligent, both wanting to escape their generational trauma/ circumstances. As the audience we want them to get along but both Leno and Lila are flawed. We want Elena to be happy but we watch her question her own self worth. Lila seems to have the confidence that Lenu lacks but she doesn’t always make the best decisions for herself, and her pride is often her downfall. Anyway, great video! Well done!

[@adaryser]

What a great show, knowing very well what it means to be born in Naples, poor or rich.. Words well chosen with meanings that make you think. So nice to see very young unknown actors doing such a great job. Thanks for the video.

[@diamondrl0]

I was surprised when I found out this show was beloved outside of Italy. They portrayed Elena Ferrante's masterpiece in an excellent work of art to watch and listen. I don't want this show to end already! It's breaking me in pieces

[@olteanuluiza4622]

I am from Romania and I love the TV series and the books. This this not a story about Napoli or Italy. Is a radiography of an era. Similar things happened in my neighborhood 25 years ago.

[@diamondrl0]

@olteanuluiza4622 yeah I can imagine

[@Hastdupech8509]

​@@olteanuluiza4622 I think it's a tale of poverty, emancipation, abuse, of change in the times and customs. They occured, have been occuring and will occur everywhere as they are part of our universal experiences as human beings. This series is spectacular, I'm drawn to it by the story, the setting, but I also find it disturbing as if I were the one dealing with these situations. Few other cultural products had me so involved

[@dopplerdog6817]

Definitely would enjoy a more detailed analysis, with spoilers

[@lisadunnigan4840]

I so was hoping Gaia and Margherita would be in season 4 but we will see what the new actresses bring, such a fantastic show I have watched season 123 around 6 times now, I love everything the music the clothes great performances from every one

[@violatralala]

I was surprised to discover Margherita Mazzucco (Elena) has an outspoken and sunny personality, while Gaia Girace (Lila) is very shy and talks with a soft, almost shaky voice when not in character.

[@piperita7557]

Vero, aveva stupito anche me! La loro personalità reale è l'opposto dei personaggi che interpretano! 😅

[@ayatahery1427]

Nah seriously i finished the series i was astonished at all the emotions intense ones only while reading it. It made me really travel back to Italy at those time periods. The way it is wrote. Those books are just so captivating

[@beckybnyc322]

True masterpiece 👏🏼

[@magliaarancia]

i read the books and they’re marvellous. you can’t help but admire the choice of every single word, because they fit perfectly

[@theresistance3818]

I deeply relate to all the character + cultural themes expolred within these books + throughout this series. It is a brutally honest depection of what it is like to grow up in an Italian family with unresolved generational trauma. I cannot help but think how incredibly liberating, therapeutic + healing it must have been for Ferrante to not only write these novels but to also have them published + overwhelming adored by both men + women the world over. These stories aren't works of fiction...her words are real life lived experiences that resonate with readers + veiwers in ways we never knew existed.

[@tombombadyl4535]

The first two episodes of Season 1are magic. How they got those two little girls to deliver that kind of performance is beyond me. It’s just riveting. But as the series progressed the unrelenting emotional turmoil got to me. I stopped watching it and turned to the books. And then I stopped reading the books for the same reason. Maybe I’ll return to it in time.

[@ReginaldWrites]

I understand. It's definitely an intense and emotionally draining story, and I do hope you are able to return to it one day!

[@disbish5472]

Where can i watch the last season? Has it come out yet?

[@ReginaldWrites]

@@disbish5472 Not yet! I don't believe they've announced a release date yet

[@disbish5472]

@@ReginaldWrites so the last part this far is when lenu leaves with nino?

[@ReginaldWrites]

@@disbish5472 yup, but they're currently working on the final season

[@shairamarisolnavarro3614]

This series is a master piece!!!!

[@june2420111]

Read these books with my book club, I stayed up for days. I couldn't put them down. Great writing that made me feel like I was there in Italy. It was great having people to discuss how much we loved/hated the characters. I haven't seen the HBO show but casting is excellent 👌

[@ReginaldWrites]

haha i'm sure there was a lot of nino talk at the book club

[@destinyray7656]

What’s the name of this book club? I wanna partecipate 🥹

[@Septymus]

This book and show made me crazy and more reasonable at the same time. I can completely relate when you’re saying how you thought about the show every day. Same here, man! ❤

[@gjpercy]

Happened across episode 1 of season 1 while channel surfing Monday last week. (Channel 30 SBS here). Blown away by script, acting and depiction of period with some meaty characters. Amazed!

[@AgingPunk]

This is an absolutely gorgeous essay… And I can’t agree more with everything you said. I don’t even remember how I found this show nor do I remember being swept up in it so completely that it took over my entire subconscious. I, like you think it might be one of the best shows of all time, and it is without a doubt, one of my favorite pieces of art to ever be created. Breathtaking simply does not do justice to the all encompassing experience of living in this world. Almost every shot is a painting in itself. There’s more emotion in three lines of dialogue here then some shows can manage in an entire season. And don’t even get me started on all the things that are said without words. The story of Lenu, Lila, Enzo, Pasquale, Nino, Pietro and others surrounds you in a way that can’t be described. This story is why art exists. This is what it is meant to be and meant to do.

[@AndyArzuza]

This show is magical! I can't find the words to describe it. its truly a work of art. I think I cried in every episode.

[@AnjeannetteMarie-Swifie4Ever]

This and The Wire are the two best shows I’ve ever experienced in my 57 years, masterpieces of storytelling and visual media

[@beckybnyc322]

Couldn’t agree more 👏🏼

[@krzygoomba]

this is literally my favorite show i have watched it more than 6 times and i always have it on in the background i cant wait for the final season

[@marisolsalazar8132]

I finished the last episode last night. This series are so haunting and beautiful. It’s underrated and I only feel frustrated I haven’t met anyone who appreciates it let alone watched it ! Thank you for doing this video . ❤❤

[@aleayalam]

Thank you so much for this video! Everything you said, is actually what I have always thought. Please make more videos about this underrated series. I’d love to see more content 😃

[@lanottedelleuropa6769]

I recommend watching the long You Tube lecture entitled: " Symbolic and Literal Labyrinth in Elena Ferrante's 'My Brilliant Friend' ". A precise interpretation through Greek mythology.

[@ReginaldWrites]

I'll definitely check it out! Thanks for the rec.

[@lanottedelleuropa6769]

@@ReginaldWrites The lecture is by Stiliana Milkova, of Oberlin College, but, in addition to her precise interpretation, during my reading of the book, I have found other precise references to other ancient myths and legends.

[@lanottedelleuropa6769]

@@ReginaldWrites I would like to know if you have seen the video I recommended at the time. And I would like to know what you think and if you are interested in learning more (from reading the books there are also more references to ancient mythological legends).

[@doniazamani3997]

This show is legit my very favorite series of all time. i just wish i could've watch it repeatedly for the first time.

[@soona22573]

People usually talk about the women of My Brilliant Friend, but lately I've been thinking about men, their insecurities, their generational trauma, how they never seen their mothers treated well by fathers, and how they re-create the system that they've been victims to.

[@theresistance3818]

Absolutely

[@TonyMontanaDS]

Found this show by accident and couldn't stop watching. By far the best TV show I've seen and I don't even care for dramas or subtitles. Can't wait for season 4.

[@piperita7557]

Hello! Season 4 will come out in Italy next week, with new (adult) actors for the main characters!

[@stupormundi982]

If you liked this series, you should watch "La meglio gioventù" (the best of youth), arguably the best italian movie ever.

[@pablolanderos9586]

I had a free weekend of HBO and this show was one. Saw the first episode and fell in love. I read the books and feel like the show is so much better even though things might be missing and I have to agree that it's really the acting that brings it to life.I teach history so I also tell students how it relates to the post WWII periods showcasing how policies and culture impacts them but without them having to address it. It just happens to them such as them listening to American pop music, or watching the town grow rapidly within a few years having paved roads in an attempt to modernize. The cinematography is amazing and love how it starts dark and then becomes bright when she becomes a teenager. I ended up calling my dog Lenu and if I get another one I will call her Lila 😁 Love your review

[@ReginaldWrites]

Thanks for your in-depth comment and kind words!

[@piperita7557]

Love your comment 😅

[@tuvasyarriver7854]

Woow, thanks for such a great analysis!

[@ReginaldWrites]

Thank you for watching!

[@enieniz]

i ve read the books and of course i ve watched the series as soon as it came up on RAI and have been patiently waiting for the next chapter but i just came here to like and comment on the video so it gets more viewers hopefully. because this series deserves so much more viewers. a jewel amongst all the trash we re fed from the networks. the secret: it s a faithful adaptation of the books

[@greatethiopiatube6992]

First I already saw the show and love ❤ it , but i can't explained it for my Friend to see it thanks for details explanation of the show and God bless you for doing this because as you already mentioned it film that show Real life in different aspects❤❤❤❤

[@onpointlilly3923]

Amazing review, amazing show

[@karito1358]

YESSS IVE BEEN LONGINGG FOR AN ANALYSIS OF THIS AMAZING SERIES

[@iloveejasper]

THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO! Love this show so so much! Please make more videos about :D

[@lanottedelleuropa6769]

I endorse every word of this video.

[@fe21122012]

I love this show, I've watched 6 times.

[@bzjhbddiko]

Me too

[@piperita7557]

Only 3 times 😅

[@mosquithademiramar8791]

Lovely essay, made me feel like rewatching the series and realize how much I missed Elena and Lila. Indeed it's a masterpiece, for me, I find it very sensorial, it brings me right in in certain scenes, almost with a physical sensation. Scenes that are just small intimate moments become universal, for example the first time that Elena dives into the sea, the sensation of floating and the beauty of nature around her. You can feel what a moving experience it's for her, the discovery that the land she comes from, away from the people and the struggles, is peaceful, and welcoming like a mother. It's a show I would have like to watch with my mum, this is her generation, she was from Tuscany, had a strong but sensitive character like Lila. Grew up without a father after WW2 and learned to be strong and made well for herself... She would have loved this show, but unfortunately passed away some years before it was made. If you like the books, I also advise Follow Your Heart by Susanna Tamaro. Also a story of women, mothers, daughters and relationships through the decades in Italy. There was also a very moving film made about it with Virna Lisi.

[@Lizmriv83]

I Love this series. The books must be amazing.

[@oc2538]

Read the first book and had to see the show. I am slowly watching the show, and since I have to read subtitles I am consumed by it. The author is a woman, I genuinely would be shocked if it was a man but I would assume even if it was a man he based it off all the women in his life.

[@yumkas]

Please please please make more about this show!

[@tkmusicfamily7515]

Thank you for your review - I just bought the book!

[@epiphoney]

The book is #1 in that ny times best books of the century.

[@Meganawsomness]

would love to see more! this show is so fantastic.

[@lilasolonara]

Well narrated. Thank you!

[@CaesarCaligvla]

Peak serie, i really respect you for this video

[@nilssonakerlund2852]

I've watched it twice, read the novels twice, and am very anxiously awaiting - nearly to the point of panic attacks - the fourth season.

[@piperita7557]

Season 4 will come out next week in Italy! 🎉

[@Mike_v_E]

Currently at season 4. So far has been the best show I have ever seen

[@silvanatamburiel8213]

Thanks, wonderful review

[@Sarina460]

yes, please, more video essays on this show :)

[@nancygordon7186]

Yes. Wonderful please record more

[@deirdreenglish5912]

More videos in depth please!

[@micahsnow346]

I think a big reason it’s so good is how closely it sticks to the book. I was watching an interview where the two main leads spoke about their preparation and they said they spent time reading the book every day during filming. The story is so utterly engrossing because of the narrative style, it’s truly stream of consciousness and so transporting that you really feel that you’re in the characters heads. Ferrante also makes a brave choice in not shying away from the ugliest, least likable parts of her characters. You start to hate them at times and then you think about how you have some of the same weaknesses. And then later on you regain some sympathy for them. I have to say, I have not read the 4th book yet for this very reason. One of the characters makes a critical decision in the 3rd book that made me so angry…I almost threw the book at the wall. If you’ve read it you know exactly what I’m talking about 😂😂 I do intend to pick it back up again but seriously these books were taking over my life lol

[@piperita7557]

Lenù! 😅😂

[@juanvsreviews]

One of my favorites of all time

[@sylviasosa101]

Yes..the best ever .. really emotional ...

[@graziagambarelli327]

Great video presentation...

[@KatieKatielife]

Please comment in depth about characters and transformation. This show is so deep and painful yet brilliant

[@Katie_wantstosing]

the best show ever

[@projectfashionworks9716]

Thank you. This is so true. I only know two people who are watching it.

[@GregWarks27]

Well said, a true masterpiece

[@pattiegaeta7460]

Very good thx !! I also would watch more in depth analysis

[@elaineocasio763]

I love this show. Best ever.

[@iLuSi0n]

Great TV series! Really great!

[@teresamarin6671]

Beautiful ❤

[@myracurtis7706]

a true classic

[@djurdjazarkovic2196]

I remember being sick days after watching first couple of episodes

[@krzygoomba]

can you please cover all the characters and their timelines mentally as well as chronologically

[@scorpowerstudio]

There is no way a man could right that book that’s hilarious 😂 how would he ever know how it really feels

[@scorpowerstudio]

To be a girl or a woman ❤

[@aninhapmr]

The show is good because the script was adapted by the book series' writer. It's a masterpiece on its own. I hope you've read them, cause they are even better than the show, in my opinion. Elena Ferrante is the best book writer of our time.

[@joanaa.1547]

Have you read the books? It's amazing

[@ReginaldWrites]

I'm definitely going to check them out after the last season!

[@joanaa.1547]

Please do that, it's mindblowing@@ReginaldWrites

[@scorpowerstudio]

Make the more detailed one good on. U I also love it but have only watch 2 epp

[@sallygotitall4104]

Not only watch, read the books rly good

[@mitskiforever2399]

I think it’s essential to read the books first

[@gamzecomert47]

Please read the books as well. You will not regret it.

[@mariaalejandravazquez3166]

Unforgettable I may say.

[@NelsonStJames]

It’s interesting that we can say the identity of an artist that may be writing about the experiences of someone that they themselves might not actually be, or have personally experienced “doesn’t matter” if the execution was brilliant and their identity is unknown, yet our culture doesn’t give the same leeway in the slightest to creators when we know, or think we know who they are. For myself, an artist should be able to create anything they like, about anything they want, and if they do a terrible job then the public has every right to criticize, but cavalierly making exceptions when it suits us does not help the artistic landscape we currently live in at all; that is unless we want all artists to now work anonymously, use pseudonyms, and everybody agrees to the ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ code.

[@betterd9160]

I cant figure out if the main character is supposed to be a sympathetic character. Especially the end of season 3 and episode 1 of season 4.

[@piperita7557]

The main chararacter, do you mean Lenù? In the series, every character is double, as everybody in the real life...

[@yumkas]

Still hoping for the in-depth video 🙏🙏🙏

[@ReginaldWrites]

likely coming after the release of the final season for full context!

[@yumkas]

@@ReginaldWrites and that's another thing, will the final season come? They drop some photos long ago, and... Nothing yet. 😞

[@MelakFakhrualdin]

What show is similar do you guys recommend

[@graziagambarelli327]

Margherita has a good chemistry with Gaia / Lila and overall with Francesco / Nino since the beginning.

[@aol6983]

Masterpiece, as good as anything I've ever watched, the scripting is phenomenal as is the acting of every character. The absolute dross we get served in the UK (almost weekly) with rubbish dramas and obvious scripts, poor acting and the woke-ness of the "standard" mixed marriage just to keep the wokers happy is unwarranted and complete nonsense. The 3 series' to date of MY BRILLIANT FRIEND are not to be missed.

[@HeatherGoolsby]

I’m disappointed by the 4 th season. I miss lenu and lila.