- Jun 24, 2012
- 83,782
- 150,781
Just watched the first 2 episodes of My Brilliant Friend on HBO.
The casting of the two friends is just splendid, especially the brilliant friend. The cinematography draws you right in, as well as the isolated, desolate neighborhood. You really feel like you're seeing the world of Naples in the 40s and all of the cruelty that families practiced as a matter of survival and instinct.
It evokes a world set in its ways where ruthlessness and being cunning is not just a recipe for survival but a path to power, especially for those who are wealthy and have no conscience. And how all of it trickles down to their sons and daughters who try and find their way into the world -- some of them feeling entitled on account of their parents's good fortune and in some cases, being encouraged to act in the same abusive manner as their parents.
It's an environment where your place in that society is being questioned and challenged by your peers and authority figures alike -- you can be on a pedestal one day and slapped out the next, physically, psychologically and/or emotionally. It's about sexism and how girls are not expected to continue in school and where kids are thought of as manual labor to help support the family. It's also about class warfare -- those who have money can and will and look down and take advantage of those who are too gullible or uneducated to understand the world of business.
And then you have this little girl, the "brilliant friend", who has a confident manner about her and who challenges the norms and ways of that society -- and who acts like someone with a purpose. We don't know why she is that way (not yet), but she does get noticed by her first grade teacher as possessing extraordinary intelligence, but it doesn't appear to matter to anyone else, except of course the girl who befriends her and from whose perspective the story is told.
There is more to the story so the set-up above, is hardly a spoiler. Sexism, class divisiveness, poverty, a society that condones violence are all verifiable historical happenings that one can readily read about when delving into 1940s Italian town of the south. What is different and absorbs you, is how the subject matter is depicted and treated and its perspective. And this is where the casting scores a lot of points.
If you're looking to embark on a new series, I would strongly recommend this one.
It's based on a 4-book international bestseller by Elena Ferrante. I've bought book one, am definitely buying the rest.
Season one covers book one in 8 episodes. We've got a lot to look forward to over the next 3 years, as the story follows the life of these two young girls until their old age.
The casting of the two friends is just splendid, especially the brilliant friend. The cinematography draws you right in, as well as the isolated, desolate neighborhood. You really feel like you're seeing the world of Naples in the 40s and all of the cruelty that families practiced as a matter of survival and instinct.
It evokes a world set in its ways where ruthlessness and being cunning is not just a recipe for survival but a path to power, especially for those who are wealthy and have no conscience. And how all of it trickles down to their sons and daughters who try and find their way into the world -- some of them feeling entitled on account of their parents's good fortune and in some cases, being encouraged to act in the same abusive manner as their parents.
It's an environment where your place in that society is being questioned and challenged by your peers and authority figures alike -- you can be on a pedestal one day and slapped out the next, physically, psychologically and/or emotionally. It's about sexism and how girls are not expected to continue in school and where kids are thought of as manual labor to help support the family. It's also about class warfare -- those who have money can and will and look down and take advantage of those who are too gullible or uneducated to understand the world of business.
And then you have this little girl, the "brilliant friend", who has a confident manner about her and who challenges the norms and ways of that society -- and who acts like someone with a purpose. We don't know why she is that way (not yet), but she does get noticed by her first grade teacher as possessing extraordinary intelligence, but it doesn't appear to matter to anyone else, except of course the girl who befriends her and from whose perspective the story is told.
There is more to the story so the set-up above, is hardly a spoiler. Sexism, class divisiveness, poverty, a society that condones violence are all verifiable historical happenings that one can readily read about when delving into 1940s Italian town of the south. What is different and absorbs you, is how the subject matter is depicted and treated and its perspective. And this is where the casting scores a lot of points.
If you're looking to embark on a new series, I would strongly recommend this one.
It's based on a 4-book international bestseller by Elena Ferrante. I've bought book one, am definitely buying the rest.
Season one covers book one in 8 episodes. We've got a lot to look forward to over the next 3 years, as the story follows the life of these two young girls until their old age.
