My Brilliant Friend - The Masterpiece You Need to Watch

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  • Опубликовано: 13 июл 2024
  • My Brilliant Friend is an incredible coming-of-age drama that may very well be my favorite television show of all time. In this video essay, I examine just what makes this show a transcendent masterpiece worth watching, taking a particular look at its literature-like qualities, beautiful cinematography, intensely complex themes, and so much more. I hope that this video encourages you, too, to try this show out and appreciate it as much as I do.
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    / reginaldwrites
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    00:00 - Intro
    06:26 - What is My Brilliant Friend?
    11:47 - Why You Should Watch My Brilliant Friend
    21:41 - Outro
    Music Credits:
    Your Reflection - Max Richter (My Brilliant Friend Soundtrack)
    The Days Go By - Max Richter (My Brilliant Friend Soundtrack)
    Cinema Music - Max Richter (My Brilliant Friend Soundtrack)
    Moth-Like Stars - Max Richter (My Brilliant Friend Soundtrack)
    Leo (MBF Version) - Max Richter (My Brilliant Friend Soundtrack)
    Home Sweet Home - OSRSBeatz
    Sound Effects From:
    freesound.org/
    ----------------------------------------------------------
    About My Brilliant Friend: Pseudonymous author Elena Ferrante has written four mega-popular Neopolitan novels that explore the complicated intensity of female friendship, which has now been translated onto TV.
    Filmed in Italian, the drama centers on elderly author Elena Greco, who learns that the most important friend in her life, Lila Cerullo, has disappeared without a trace. It causes Elena to reflect on the early days of their friendship in dangerous but fascinating Naples, Italy, in the 1950s, when Elena and Lila are two very different girls at the top of their class. The story goes on to cover more than 60 years of their lives as Elena tries to describe the mystery of Lila.
    #MyBrilliantFriend #Review #VideoEssay
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Комментарии • 106

  • @juliang4874
    @juliang4874 Год назад +113

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

    • @nicolebuuck4553
      @nicolebuuck4553 6 месяцев назад

      PLEASE make the separate videos!!!

  • @rakshikaaphale3824
    @rakshikaaphale3824 Год назад +69

    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
      @ReginaldWrites  Год назад +6

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

    • @ehsanzumrut4060
      @ehsanzumrut4060 2 месяца назад +2

      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
      @b1uwave83 2 месяца назад

      I need this in english subtitles please ❤

  • @Beanaleann
    @Beanaleann Год назад +79

    This show and book series is completely unreal

    • @graziagambarelli327
      @graziagambarelli327 Год назад +5

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

    • @chaaaargh
      @chaaaargh Год назад +1

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

    • @graziagambarelli327
      @graziagambarelli327 Год назад

      @@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
      @celiayamile2444 Год назад +1

      So beautiful !

  • @Irene-mk3rx
    @Irene-mk3rx Год назад +59

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

  • @tag4995
    @tag4995 Год назад +42

    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
      @piperita7557 Год назад +6

      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 fourth (and last 😢) season, coming out next winter...

    • @disbish5472
      @disbish5472 11 месяцев назад

      ​@@piperita7557 hello did it come out yet?

    • @piperita7557
      @piperita7557 11 месяцев назад +2

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

    • @disbish5472
      @disbish5472 11 месяцев назад

      @@piperita7557 thank you

  • @JodiMcClure
    @JodiMcClure Год назад +44

    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
      @piperita7557 Год назад +2

      Immacolata is my preferred character too... Anna Rita Vitolo is a very good theater actress!
      Maybe you'll happy to 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!

  • @jabberwock0176
    @jabberwock0176 Год назад +24

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

  • @lanottedelleuropa6769
    @lanottedelleuropa6769 Год назад +16

    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.

  • @lidiamercier9974
    @lidiamercier9974 Год назад +32

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

    • @ReginaldWrites
      @ReginaldWrites  Год назад +1

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

  • @bessdavies6440
    @bessdavies6440 2 месяца назад +2

    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!

  • @dopplerdog6817
    @dopplerdog6817 Год назад +25

    Definitely would enjoy a more detailed analysis, with spoilers

  • @braianramirez3337
    @braianramirez3337 Год назад +11

    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
      @piperita7557 Год назад +1

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

  • @Zzzsleepzzz
    @Zzzsleepzzz Год назад +13

    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!

  • @makavelithedon.9466
    @makavelithedon.9466 Год назад +14

    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!!

  • @alexandergorbachev4088
    @alexandergorbachev4088 Год назад +27

    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
      @ReginaldWrites  Год назад +1

      I've heard good things about that book!

    • @disbish5472
      @disbish5472 Год назад +2

      Where can I watch it for free😢

    • @ayatahery1427
      @ayatahery1427 Год назад

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

  • @doniazamani3997
    @doniazamani3997 Месяц назад +1

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

  • @49tonio
    @49tonio Год назад +13

    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
      @piperita7557 Год назад +1

      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
      @49tonio Год назад +2

      @@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
      @piperita7557 Год назад

      @@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 wating with impatience for the 4th... the main actors will change: il will be a very hard challenge for them! 🙈

  • @adaryser
    @adaryser Год назад +8

    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.

  • @BadActingWYIM
    @BadActingWYIM 4 месяца назад +2

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

  • @cieloblu3988
    @cieloblu3988 Год назад +5

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

  • @grahamhowes6904
    @grahamhowes6904 11 месяцев назад +5

    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
      @ReginaldWrites  11 месяцев назад +1

      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!

  • @gjpercy
    @gjpercy Год назад +2

    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!

  • @shairamarisolnavarro3614
    @shairamarisolnavarro3614 Год назад +7

    This series is a master piece!!!!

  • @tombombadyl4535
    @tombombadyl4535 Год назад +30

    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
      @ReginaldWrites  Год назад

      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
      @disbish5472 Год назад

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

    • @ReginaldWrites
      @ReginaldWrites  Год назад +1

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

    • @disbish5472
      @disbish5472 Год назад

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

    • @ReginaldWrites
      @ReginaldWrites  Год назад +1

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

  • @killawhatt8620
    @killawhatt8620 11 месяцев назад +3

    The books were phenomenal, the show, excellent and on point. Waiting for final season.

  • @Septymus
    @Septymus Год назад +4

    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! ❤

  • @ehsanzumrut4060
    @ehsanzumrut4060 2 месяца назад +2

    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.

  • @deeznuts2724
    @deeznuts2724 Год назад +6

    yes please make more videos about my brilliant friend!! it’s amazing ❤

  • @ayatahery1427
    @ayatahery1427 Год назад +2

    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

  • @lanottedelleuropa6769
    @lanottedelleuropa6769 Год назад +5

    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
      @ReginaldWrites  Год назад

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

    • @lanottedelleuropa6769
      @lanottedelleuropa6769 Год назад

      @@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
      @lanottedelleuropa6769 3 месяца назад

      @@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).

  • @krzygoomba
    @krzygoomba 7 месяцев назад +1

    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

  • @nilssonakerlund2852
    @nilssonakerlund2852 3 месяца назад +2

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

  • @pablolanderos9586
    @pablolanderos9586 Год назад +4

    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

  • @mosquithademiramar8791
    @mosquithademiramar8791 3 месяца назад +1

    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.

  • @lanottedelleuropa6769
    @lanottedelleuropa6769 Год назад +4

    I endorse every word of this video.

  • @karito1358
    @karito1358 Год назад +1

    YESSS
    IVE BEEN LONGINGG FOR AN ANALYSIS OF THIS AMAZING SERIES

  • @iloveejasper
    @iloveejasper Год назад +2

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

  • @tuvasyarriver7854
    @tuvasyarriver7854 Год назад +7

    Woow, thanks for such a great analysis!

  • @lilasolonara
    @lilasolonara 3 месяца назад +1

    Well narrated. Thank you!

  • @violatralala
    @violatralala 7 месяцев назад +1

    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.

  • @fe21122012
    @fe21122012 Год назад +8

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

  • @Meganawsomness
    @Meganawsomness Год назад

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

  • @Lizmriv83
    @Lizmriv83 Год назад +2

    I Love this series. The books must be amazing.

  • @Sarina460
    @Sarina460 5 месяцев назад

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

  • @yumkas
    @yumkas Год назад +2

    Please please please make more about this show!

  • @micahsnow346
    @micahsnow346 Год назад +6

    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

  • @GregWarks27
    @GregWarks27 Год назад

    Well said, a true masterpiece

  • @Katie_wantstosing
    @Katie_wantstosing 4 месяца назад +1

    the best show ever

  • @graziagambarelli327
    @graziagambarelli327 Год назад +2

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

  • @Natasha.berg1
    @Natasha.berg1 Год назад

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

  • @scorpowerstudio
    @scorpowerstudio 4 месяца назад +1

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

  • @graziagambarelli327
    @graziagambarelli327 Год назад +5

    Great video presentation...

  • @krzygoomba
    @krzygoomba 7 месяцев назад

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

  • @scorpowerstudio
    @scorpowerstudio 4 месяца назад

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

  • @sallygotitall4104
    @sallygotitall4104 Год назад

    Not only watch, read the books rly good

  • @MelakFakhrualdin
    @MelakFakhrualdin Месяц назад

    What show is similar do you guys recommend

  • @oc2538
    @oc2538 13 дней назад

    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.

  • @mitskiforever2399
    @mitskiforever2399 6 месяцев назад

    I think it’s essential to read the books first

  • @joanaa.1547
    @joanaa.1547 Год назад +1

    Have you read the books? It's amazing

    • @ReginaldWrites
      @ReginaldWrites  Год назад +1

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

    • @joanaa.1547
      @joanaa.1547 6 месяцев назад

      Please do that, it's mindblowing@@ReginaldWrites

  • @yumkas
    @yumkas 5 месяцев назад

    Still hoping for the in-depth video 🙏🙏🙏

    • @ReginaldWrites
      @ReginaldWrites  5 месяцев назад +1

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

    • @yumkas
      @yumkas 5 месяцев назад

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

  • @NelsonStJames
    @NelsonStJames 2 месяца назад

    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.

  • @aol6983
    @aol6983 6 месяцев назад +1

    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.