Rent My Brilliant Friend: Series 1 (2018)

Wooden and desperately disappointing series - My Brilliant Friend: Series 1 review by CW

We had been really looking forward to this series, which got rave reviews in many places. However, we were very disappointed. It was all very wooden and devoid of atmosphere. There was nobody around in many scenes, apart from the two girls who are the central characters. This in Napoli, which must have been teeming with people. While acknowledging that there is a financial limit on how many extras you can employ and that it is difficult to get top performances out of child actors, the wooden acting and the lack of any sense of community and street atmosphere drained the film of atmosphere. After ten minutes of giving it a second chance with episode 2, we stopped and sent it back.

Brilliant book, brilliant series - My Brilliant Friend: Series 1 review by Peter B

Always slightly worrying when you have loved a book and then watch a film of it. No worries here, the sense of history, the superb child actors and the atmosphere of traditional life in Italy is absolutely fantastic. It also reminded me of days of my youth, playing outside with friends for days on end. Teachers either tyrannical or inspiring. Strict childhoods. Education as a genuine privilege to be grasped at any cost. The reality of poverty in households before birth control became widespread. One of the best series I've ever watched.

A brilliant adaption... - My Brilliant Friend: Series 1 review by JB

I loved Ferrante's books and thought that the screen adaption is fabulous. Great performances by the young women playing the two female protagonists.

My brilliant friend - My Brilliant Friend: Series 1 review by MP

I so much enjoyed these well acted and atmospheric tales of life in the less salubrious area of Naples.  The actors playing the children and the adults were so well cast and wonderful actors indeed.  I really look forward to the next episode in this wonderful story.  the story deals with relationships within the families in this tight knit and sometimes violent society and the struggles to escape the thrall of poverty and culture.

Faithful to books - My Brilliant Friend: Series 1 review by fs

I found the four books were quite slow - and the TV programmes even slower! I think much of it was the director lingering lovingly over shots with the two girls - found that quite irritating and a bit self-indulgent - and some of their acting did seem to me pretty wooden, like little tableaux.

  Some of  the casting of the adults was great though - the teacher was brilliant! and the programmes did give a real feeling over what it must have been like growing up in a deprived area of Naples. Even if it must have been teeming with people, as someone observed - this wasn’t captured at all.  

I do wonder if it’s any better growing up today in deprived parts of Naples .......