✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

You have reached the limit of free articles.


To enjoy unlimited access to Culture Whisper sign up for FREE.
Find out more about Culture Whisper

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy

Each week, we send newsletters and communication featuring articles, our latest tickets invitations, and exclusive offers.

Occasional information about discounts, special offers and promotions.


OR
LOG IN

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

Thanks for signing up to Culture Whisper.
Please check your inbox for a confirmation email and click the link to verify your account.



EXPLORE CULTURE WHISPER
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy
Forgot your username or password?
Don't have an account? Sign Up

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

If you click «Log in with Facebook» and are not a Culture Whisper user, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and to our Privacy Policy, which includes our Cookie Use

Support Us Login
  • Home
  • Going Out
    • Things to do
    • Food & Drink
    • Theatre
    • Visual Arts
    • Cinema
    • Kids
    • Festival
    • Gigs
    • Dance
    • Classical Music
    • Opera
    • Immersive
    • Talks
  • Staying In
    • TV
    • Books
    • Cook
    • Podcast
    • Design
    • Netflix
  • Life & Style
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Gifting
    • Wellbeing
    • Lifestyle
    • Shopping
    • Jewellery
  • Explore
  • Shopping
  • CW SHOPS
  • Support Us
  • Get Started
  • Tickets
  • CW SHOPS
Get the Best of London Life, Culture and Style
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
TV

My Brilliant Friend episode 1 review ★★★★★

On 19 Nov 18, 9:00 PM – 10:05 PM

The miniseries adaptation of Elena Ferrante's book My Brilliant Friend has finally started on Sky Atlantic. Two girls become lifelong friends amidst the aggressive environment of '50s Naples

By Euan Franklin on 19/11/2018

Ludovica Nasti and Elisa del Genio in My Brilliant Friend
Ludovica Nasti and Elisa del Genio in My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend episode 1 review 5 My Brilliant Friend episode 1 review Euan Franklin
There’s a scene in the middle of this first episode of My Brilliant Friend, based on the novel by the famous recluse Elena Ferrante, when a bunch of kids throw stones at each other on a dirt track with many cars and tractors speeding passed and through them. Any misplaced movement could mean serious injury or death.


It’s similar to a scene in Vittoria De Sica’s classic neo-realist film Bicycle Thieves, in which a son follows his father across a road and nearly gets run over by traffic (the father doesn’t even notice).


My Brilliant Friend presents many such instances, demonstrating the danger, carelessness and violence of this particular world, especially for children – bringing Italian Neo-Realism (1944-1952) to the modern day. And although this HBO series is more lavish and refined than what these post-war Italian filmmakers would've preferred, it's no less real and hard.


Elena, in old age, receives a call on her smartphone. Her lifelong friend has gone missing. This prompts her to open up a laptop in the dark, and type out her whole story. She takes us to Naples in the ’50s, when she was a little girl (Elisa del Genio). She’s smart, and top of her class. She becomes curious with a girl, Lila (Ludovica Nasti), who's as intelligent but far more rebellious. They both endure the anger and horror spilling from their environment, growing a friendship among the turmoil.



Although My Brilliant Friend doesn’t achieve realism in the technical sense, the higher production values bring us closer to the emotions of the people – and it’s a frightening picture. The sun is always shining but through a grey filter, providing a gritty edge to the picturesque visuals (similar to cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s work on Call Me By Your Name and Suspiria).


The colours are muted, much like the townspeople, who walk by in silence as a man is beaten half to death or when a woman throws kitchen appliances out the window (nearly hitting a child). There’s a panic not to get involved, exacerbated by the local loan shark Don Achille (Antonio Pannarella) who weakens everybody into cruel obedience. A wrong word and you’re punished, maybe even killed. Director Saverio Constanzo doesn’t shy away from the pain, he makes sure that every slap, punch, and blunt object is felt. And through the eyes of a child, these acts are even more brutal.


My Brilliant Friend is dependant on the relationship between Lila and Elena, and the child actors Elisa del Genio and Ludovica Nasti possess such an immediate, natural connection. It doesn’t even matter if a plot doesn’t present itself – the characters are absorbing enough. This is a startling, shocking, and emotional start to a promising series.




What My Brilliant Friend episode 1 review
When On 19 Nov 18, 9:00 PM – 10:05 PM
Price £n/a
Website



Most popular

Things to do in London this weekend: 5 - 7 August
Things to do in London this weekend: 5 - 7 August
London's loveliest indoor swimming pools
London swimming pools you can visit without membership
London Theatre Guide: best plays on now in London (Photograph: Peter Lewicki)
London Theatre Guide: best plays on now in London, 2022

Editor's Picks

Alicia Vikander in Irma Vep, Sky Atlantic (Photo: Sky)
What to watch on TV this week
Louis Theroux's Altered States: Choosing Death
Louis Theroux's Altered States: Choosing Death review
They Shall Not Grow Old
They Shall Not Grow Old film review
Penn Badgley and Elizabeth Lail in YOU
New to Netflix UK: December 2018
Aaron Paul returns as Jesse Pinkman in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
El Camino: Breaking Bad returns in Netflix film
Louis Theroux
Louis Theroux's Altered States: Love Without Limits review
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).

My Brilliant Friend

Sky Atlantic

Elena Ferrante

You might like

  • Alexander Skarsgard and Florence Pugh in The Little Drummer Girl

    The Little Drummer Girl episode 4 review ★★★★★

  • Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill, Tosin Cole, and Jodie Whittaker in Doctor Who

    Doctor Who episode 7 review ★★★★★

  • Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones season 8, Sky Atlantic

    Game of Thrones season 8: everything we know

  • Elton John in John Lewis Xmas Advert

    Elton John performs in John Lewis Christmas advert



  • The Culture Whisper team
  • Support Us
  • Tickets
  • Contact us
  • Press
  • FAQ
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookies
  • Discover
  • Venues
  • Restaurants
  • Stations
  • Boroughs
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
×