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Post by MsMovieStar on Mar 3, 2023 22:13:07 GMT
Oh honeys, how did I miss this? This Italian series about the friendship of two little girls (and eventually women) growing up in the 1950s slums of Naples to a Mafia backdrop has me totally hooked. This is very fine filmmaking, very beautifully made with excellent production values. It's rated an 8.6 on IMDb. Why has no one here raved about it? Has anyone else seen it? cherry68 avnermoriarti hugobolso The soundtrack by Max Richter is gorgeous too!
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Post by ibbi on Mar 3, 2023 22:50:02 GMT
It is my favourite show on television since 2018 AND I CANNOT CONVINCE ONE OTHER PERSON ON THE ENTIRE PLANET TO WATCH IT! YOU'RE LITERALLY THE FIRST PERSON I'VE COME ACROSS THAT HAS! IT'S LIKE I'VE JUST WALKED OUT OF THE DESERT AND SEEN WATER FOR THE FIRST TIME!
RANK THE SEASONS??!?!?!
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cherry68
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Man is unhappy because he doesn't know he's happy. It's only that.
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Post by cherry68 on Mar 3, 2023 23:48:33 GMT
Sorry, n/s. I know the TV series is based on a book franchise though.
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Post by MsMovieStar on Mar 4, 2023 7:12:27 GMT
It is my favourite show on television since 2018 AND I CANNOT CONVINCE ONE OTHER PERSON ON THE ENTIRE PLANET TO WATCH IT! YOU'RE LITERALLY THE FIRST PERSON I'VE COME ACROSS THAT HAS! IT'S LIKE I'VE JUST WALKED OUT OF THE DESERT AND SEEN WATER FOR THE FIRST TIME! RANK THE SEASONS??!?!?! Oh honey, I'm still on the first season, three episodes in, but I love it! So much drek gets made and it's a shame when something as good as this gets buried. I love its strong feminist theme but it is subtle enough to be devoid of all those corny 'girl power' clichés. Soooooo good.
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Post by ibbi on Mar 4, 2023 13:01:02 GMT
So much drek gets made and it's a shame when something as good as this gets buried. I love its strong feminist theme but it is subtle enough to be devoid of all those corny 'girl power' clichés. Soooooo good. Agreed with every word. God, you are about to go on a TRIP! I'm just glad they are following through with adapting all the books instead of ditching it before the end. I guess it does well at home at least.
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Post by ibbi on Mar 4, 2023 13:01:23 GMT
Sorry, n/s. I know the TV series is based on a book franchise though. UNACCEPTABLE!
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cherry68
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Post by cherry68 on Mar 4, 2023 14:33:33 GMT
Sorry, n/s. I know the TV series is based on a book franchise though. UNACCEPTABLE! The mob frame around the characters is what doesn't attract me. I mean, the story of two smart girls who follow different paths might be interesting, but another camorra setting is annoying for me.
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Post by ibbi on Mar 4, 2023 15:52:57 GMT
The mob frame around the characters is what doesn't attract me. I mean, the story of two smart girls who follow different paths might be interesting, but another camorra setting is annoying for me. That stuff is of MINISCULE importance. It is nothing like, say, Gomorrah. They just grow up knowing those guys, they barely feature. If you watch it I will stop calling you Swiss if not, I'm buying you a cuckoo clock for Christmas.
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avnermoriarti
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Post by avnermoriarti on Mar 4, 2023 16:37:57 GMT
I've only seen the first two seasons (twice) and this is a Ferrante adaptation I totally get behind. What I like about it is how blends the tenderness with the cruelty and cares to depict people in difficult situations with a bast range of contradictions. I think the secret why I like it so much is how every situation/character is illustrated in the most honest way possible, there's so much between the lines, it can go from moments of purity to bitterness and constantly stimulating our own memories, somehow always lands to common past imo, this show is the closest I've come to cry in more than one occasion. Love it. And apparently in the next (and last) season we'll finally see our narrator in front of the screen (Alba Rohrwacher )
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cherry68
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Post by cherry68 on Mar 5, 2023 8:38:43 GMT
The mob frame around the characters is what doesn't attract me. I mean, the story of two smart girls who follow different paths might be interesting, but another camorra setting is annoying for me. That stuff is of MINISCULE importance. It is nothing like, say, Gomorrah. They just grow up knowing those guys, they barely feature. If you watch it I will stop calling you Swiss if not, I'm buying you a cuckoo clock for Christmas. I'll get the clock! (You are probably unaware of the price of real Swiss cuckoo clocks... )
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Post by ibbi on Mar 5, 2023 14:17:17 GMT
I've only seen the first two seasons (twice) and this is a Ferrante adaptation I totally get behind. What I like about it is how blends the tenderness with the cruelty and cares to depict people in difficult situations with a bast range of contradictions. I think the secret why I like it so much is how every situation/character is illustrated in the most honest way possible, there's so much between the lines, it can go from moments of purity to bitterness and constantly stimulating our own memories, somehow always lands to common past imo, this show is the closest I've come to cry in more than one occasion. Love it. And apparently in the next (and last) season we'll finally see our narrator in front of the screen (Alba Rohrwacher ) Why haven't you watched season 3 yet???
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avnermoriarti
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Post by avnermoriarti on Mar 5, 2023 18:16:54 GMT
I've only seen the first two seasons (twice) and this is a Ferrante adaptation I totally get behind. What I like about it is how blends the tenderness with the cruelty and cares to depict people in difficult situations with a bast range of contradictions. I think the secret why I like it so much is how every situation/character is illustrated in the most honest way possible, there's so much between the lines, it can go from moments of purity to bitterness and constantly stimulating our own memories, somehow always lands to common past imo, this show is the closest I've come to cry in more than one occasion. Love it. And apparently in the next (and last) season we'll finally see our narrator in front of the screen (Alba Rohrwacher ) Why haven't you watched season 3 yet??? absurdities of life... I could have watch it already and believe me I want so badly, hence why I've seen twice the first two season but My Brilliant Friend is that one thing the boyfriend and I like to watch together and hasn't happen yet.... if a week before 4th season airs that hasn't changed I'll do it on my own
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Mar 5, 2023 19:39:07 GMT
hey now, I *just* nominated Margherita Mazzucco for S3 in the Sixth Annual Tommen Awards and ibbi didn't notice I caught up on this last year. Really beautiful show with an exceptional first two seasons. I was so disappointed when the little girls got replaced after Ep. 2 but it didn't take long for Mazzucco and Girace to steal my heart. I haven't read the books but the story is intimate, specific and interesting while building out the world of 1950s and 1960s Naples with its prejudices, sexism, oppressive class dynamics, and rapidly changing politics. It feels epic in that way, like through the personal and romantic lives of these two women you're getting a front-row seat to an evolving society. Love the writing, love the narration, LOOOVE the music. It's so handsomely-mounted with that HBO big money sheen. Evocative cinematography and details set deign bolstered by VFX (the gradual growth and evolution of the Neapolitan neighborhood is stunning to watch) in conjunction with the performances make it a captivating and easy-to-binge viewing experience. Gaia Girace is soooo good especially in S2. Such an exciting performance and characterization. Headstrong and stubborn (sometimes to a fault) and constantly beaten down by a world with no place for women like her. The contrast between Elena and Lila is so fascinating. Lila is innately intelligent and intellectually superior to Elena but she's beaten down by external factors and seems to have no ambition. Meanwhile for the self-conscious Elena everything is a struggle and despite her continual successes, happiness eludes her too.
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Post by ibbi on Mar 6, 2023 8:59:48 GMT
hey now, I *just* nominated Margherita Mazzucco for S3 in the Sixth Annual Tommen Awards and ibbi didn't notice I caught up on this last year. Really beautiful show with an exceptional first two seasons. I was so disappointed when the little girls got replaced after Ep. 2 but it didn't take long for Mazzucco and Girace to steal my heart. I haven't read the books but the story is intimate, specific and interesting while building out the world of 1950s and 1960s Naples with its prejudices, sexism, oppressive class dynamics, and rapidly changing politics. It feels epic in that way, like through the personal and romantic lives of these two women you're getting a front-row seat to an evolving society. Love the writing, love the narration, LOOOVE the music. It's so handsomely-mounted with that HBO big money sheen. Evocative cinematography and details set deign bolstered by VFX (the gradual growth and evolution of the Neapolitan neighborhood is stunning to watch) in conjunction with the performances make it a captivating and easy-to-binge viewing experience. Gaia Girace is soooo good especially in S2. Such an exciting performance and characterization. Headstrong and stubborn (sometimes to a fault) and constantly beaten down by a world with no place for women like her. The contrast between Elena and Lila is so fascinating. Lila is innately intelligent and intellectually superior to Elena but she's beaten down by external factors and seems to have no ambition. Meanwhile for the self-conscious Elena everything is a struggle and despite her continual successes, happiness eludes her too. Damn, I am sorry I did not notice. Big congrats to Mags Anyway, very well put! Completely agreed. I couldn't believe when those two little kids got replaced after a couple of episodes given how good they were, but now after almost 3 whole seasons I am absolutely getting that feeling again. Good luck to Alba, and especially good luck to the other one. Big shoes to fill.
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Post by MsMovieStar on Mar 6, 2023 14:09:03 GMT
hey now, I *just* nominated Margherita Mazzucco for S3 in the Sixth Annual Tommen Awards and ibbi didn't notice I caught up on this last year. Really beautiful show with an exceptional first two seasons. I was so disappointed when the little girls got replaced after Ep. 2 but it didn't take long for Mazzucco and Girace to steal my heart. I haven't read the books but the story is intimate, specific and interesting while building out the world of 1950s and 1960s Naples with its prejudices, sexism, oppressive class dynamics, and rapidly changing politics. It feels epic in that way, like through the personal and romantic lives of these two women you're getting a front-row seat to an evolving society. Love the writing, love the narration, LOOOVE the music. It's so handsomely-mounted with that HBO big money sheen. Evocative cinematography and details set deign bolstered by VFX (the gradual growth and evolution of the Neapolitan neighborhood is stunning to watch) in conjunction with the performances make it a captivating and easy-to-binge viewing experience. Gaia Girace is soooo good especially in S2. Such an exciting performance and characterization. Headstrong and stubborn (sometimes to a fault) and constantly beaten down by a world with no place for women like her. The contrast between Elena and Lila is so fascinating. Lila is innately intelligent and intellectually superior to Elena but she's beaten down by external factors and seems to have no ambition. Meanwhile for the self-conscious Elena everything is a struggle and despite her continual successes, happiness eludes her too.
Oh honey, wonderful write up! I'm on Series 1 Episode 5 and I'm finding the power dynamic between Lila & Elena complex and very fascinating. Elena strikes me as being unhealthily obsessive about Lila, while Lila has to always has to have the upper hand (Learning Greek despite not being at the school). It's competitive and there's a lot of ambiguities but that is what makes the whole thing so damn interesting!
I love the character of Maestra Olivero and her enthusiasm for education: She knows it's the key out of the slums.
This is such a great show. The production values are excellent. It reminds me of Mad Men.
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speeders
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Post by speeders on Mar 6, 2023 15:35:48 GMT
I've been meaning to dip my toes into this show for years, my dad loves it but I've never really been persuaded, but I do suspect I'm missing out on something strong.
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Post by MsMovieStar on May 1, 2023 7:10:15 GMT
Oh honeys, I'm still in Naples... somewhere in the middle of season 2.
I don't know if it is an Italian thing but there is something really unsettling about dark, brooding Lila, and her unpredictable outbursts. I feel as though she could snap at any time and wreak vengeance on the whole town. Lenu's quiet but obsessive worship of her is almost scientific as though it's revealed at the very end, after she years and years of study, that she became a psychiatrist and had Lila committed to the local asylum. That would be a fitting end to the strange but compelling competitiveness between the two women. Certainly she's clocking up enough grievances.
My Brilliant Friend is 'foreign' on many levels, not just the fact that it is Italian, but that the motivations & behaviours are hard to understand, which is what makes it so fascinating.
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cherry68
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Post by cherry68 on Jun 8, 2023 22:16:01 GMT
The mob frame around the characters is what doesn't attract me. I mean, the story of two smart girls who follow different paths might be interesting, but another camorra setting is annoying for me. That stuff is of MINISCULE importance. It is nothing like, say, Gomorrah. They just grow up knowing those guys, they barely feature. If you watch it I will stop calling you Swiss if not, I'm buying you a cuckoo clock for Christmas. I just saw the first two episodes. Luckily there were Italian subtitles for the stricter dialect parts. The environment is not the one my parents or me grew up in (parents born before WWII), even if many kids couldn't go to middle school in the 50s and had to work to support the family. Mom had three eldest siblings who helped paying her high school. She was the only one out of 5 siblings with an high school degree. Dad supported himself by working during the day and going to high school at night. Even sone people my same generation renounced studying because of financial issues. I remember listening to an essay by a teenager in a church camp that was so brilliantly written, and that guy was becoming an electrician. If he could have chosen another path, we'd probably have a great journalist or writer today.
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Post by ibbi on Jun 8, 2023 22:40:32 GMT
That stuff is of MINISCULE importance. It is nothing like, say, Gomorrah. They just grow up knowing those guys, they barely feature. If you watch it I will stop calling you Swiss if not, I'm buying you a cuckoo clock for Christmas. I just saw the first two episodes. Luckily there were Italian subtitles for the stricter dialect parts. The environment is not the one my parents or me grew up in (parents born before WWII), even if many kids couldn't go to middle school in the 50s and had to work to support the family. Mom had three eldest siblings who helped paying her high school. She was the only one out of 5 siblings with an high school degree. Dad supported himself by working during the day and going to high school at night. Even sone people my same generation renounced studying because of financial issues. I remember listening to an essay by a teenager in a church camp that was so brilliantly written, and that guy was becoming an electrician. If he could have chosen another path, we'd probably have a great journalist or writer today. Sounds like you have to keep watching, Swiss it’s getting DEEP into your bones!
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