My Brilliant Friend | |
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Created by | Saverio Costanzo |
Based on | Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante |
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Directed by |
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Starring | |
Narrated by | Alba Rohrwacher |
Composer | Max Richter |
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Original languages |
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No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 24 |
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Cinematography |
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Running time | 43–67 minutes |
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Original release | November 18, 2018 present | –
My Brilliant Friend (Italian: L'amica geniale) is an Italian- and Neapolitan-language coming-of-age drama television series created by Saverio Costanzo for HBO, RAI, and TIMvision. Named after the first of four novels in the Neapolitan Novels series by Elena Ferrante, the series will adapt the entire literary work into four eight-episode seasons.[2] My Brilliant Friend is a co-production between Italian production companies Wildside, Fandango, The Apartment Pictures, Mowe and international film groups Umedia and Fremantle.
The first two episodes were presented at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, in 2018.[3] The first season premiered on HBO on November 18, 2018, and on Rai 1 and TIMvision on November 27, 2018.[4][5] A second season, based on Ferrante's second Neapolitan Novel and titled My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name (Italian: L'amica geniale – Storia del nuovo cognome), was confirmed in December 2018,[6] and premiered on Rai 1 on February 10, 2020, and on HBO on March 16, 2020.[7][8] The first two episodes of the second season were screened in selected Italian cinemas from January 27 to 29, 2020.[7]
In April 2020, the series was renewed for a third season, based on the third novel in the series, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay.[9] The eight-episode third season premiered on Rai 1 on February 6, 2022, and on HBO on February 28, 2022.[10][11] In March 2022, the series was renewed for a fourth and final season, based on the final novel in Ferrante's series: The Story of the Lost Child.[12]
The following actors are credited in the opening titles of a single episode of the series:
Season | Subtitle | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
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First aired | Last aired | ||||
1 | — | 8 | November 18, 2018HBO) November 27, 2018 (Rai 1) | (December 10, 2018 December 18, 2018 (Rai 1) | (HBO)|
2 | The Story of a New Name Storia del nuovo cognome | 8 | February 10, 2020 March 16, 2020 (HBO) | (Rai 1)March 2, 2020 May 4, 2020 (HBO) | (Rai 1)|
3 | Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay Storia di chi fugge e di chi resta | 8 | February 6, 2022 February 28, 2022 (HBO) | (Rai 1)February 27, 2022 April 18, 2022 (HBO) | (Rai 1)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S./Italy viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "The Dolls" "Le bambole" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | November 18, 2018HBO) November 27, 2018 (Rai 1) | (0.242[14] and 7.458[15] |
2 | 2 | "The Money" "I soldi" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | November 19, 2018 November 27, 2018 (Rai 1) | (HBO)0.128[16] and 6.729[15] |
3 | 3 | "Metamorphoses"[a] "Le metamorfosi" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | November 25, 2018 December 4, 2018 (Rai 1) | (HBO)0.244[17] and 7.302[18] |
4 | 4 | "Dissolving Boundaries"[a] "La smarginatura" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | November 26, 2018 December 4, 2018 (Rai 1) | (HBO)0.151[19] and 6.725[18] |
5 | 5 | "The Shoes" "Le scarpe" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | December 2, 2018 December 11, 2018 (Rai 1) | (HBO)0.291[20] and 6.699[21] |
6 | 6 | "The Island" "L'isola" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | December 3, 2018 December 11, 2018 (Rai 1) | (HBO)0.210[22] and 6.699[21] |
7 | 7 | "The Fiancés" "I fidanzati" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | December 9, 2018 December 18, 2018 (Rai 1) | (HBO)0.318[23] and 6.974[24] |
8 | 8 | "The Promise" "La promessa" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | December 10, 2018 December 18, 2018 (Rai 1) | (HBO)0.228[25] and 6.620[24] |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S./Italy viewers (millions) |
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9 | 1 | "The New Name" "Il nuovo cognome" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 10, 2020Rai 1) March 16, 2020 (HBO) | (0.148[26] and 7.099[27] |
10 | 2 | "The Body" "Il corpo" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 10, 2020 March 23, 2020 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.147[28] and 6.452[27] |
11 | 3 | "Erasure" "Scancellare" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 17, 2020 March 30, 2020 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.120[29] and 6.842[30] |
12 | 4 | "The Kiss" "Il bacio" | Alice Rohrwacher | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 17, 2020 April 6, 2020 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.141[31] and 6.235[30] |
13 | 5 | "The Betrayal" "Il tradimento" | Alice Rohrwacher | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 24, 2020 April 13, 2020 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.196[32] and 6.585[33] |
14 | 6 | "Rage" "La rabbia" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 24, 2020 April 20, 2020 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.134[34] and 6.053[33] |
15 | 7 | "Ghosts" "I fantasmi" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | March 2, 2020 April 27, 2020 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.159[35] and 7.110[36] |
16 | 8 | "The Blue Fairy" "La fata blu" | Saverio Costanzo | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | March 2, 2020 May 4, 2020 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.130[37] and 6.757[36] |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S./Italy viewers (millions) |
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17 | 1 | "Indecencies" "Sconcezze" | Daniele Luchetti | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 6, 2022Rai 1)[b] February 28, 2022 (HBO) | (0.130[38] and 4.837[39] |
18 | 2 | "The Fever" "La febbre" | Daniele Luchetti | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 6, 2022[b] March 7, 2022 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.149[40] and 4.475[39] |
19 | 3 | "The Treatment" "La cura" | Daniele Luchetti | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 13, 2022 March 14, 2022 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.124[41] and 4.940[42] |
20 | 4 | "Cold War" "Guerra fredda" | Daniele Luchetti | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 13, 2022 March 21, 2022 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.141[43] and 4.753[42] |
21 | 5 | "Terror" "Terrore" | Daniele Luchetti | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 20, 2022 March 28, 2022 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.077[44] and 4.669[45] |
22 | 6 | "Becoming" "Diventare" | Daniele Luchetti | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 20, 2022 April 4, 2022 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.049[46] and 4.589[45] |
23 | 7 | "Try Again" "Ancora tu" | Daniele Luchetti | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 27, 2022 April 11, 2022 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.108[47] and 4.294[48] |
24 | 8 | "Those Who Leave, Those Who Stay" "Chi fugge, chi resta" | Daniele Luchetti | Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo | February 27, 2022 April 18, 2022 (HBO) | (Rai 1)0.074[49] and 4.112[48] |
Commissioned by Rai Fiction, HBO and TIMvision, the first season was produced by Italian production companies Wildside and Fandango and international film group Umedia.[4] TIMvision withdrew from the project after the first season,[50] while production companies The Apartment Pictures and Mowe joined production for the second season.[51]
On February 18, 2020, Gaia Girace announced that she would leave the series after playing Lila in three episodes of the third season, as a new and older actress would be cast for the following episodes.[52] However, the director of the third season, Daniele Luchetti, later opted to retain Girace and Mazzucco for the duration of the season.[53]
The score of the series is composed by Max Richter.
My Brilliant Friend (TV Series Soundtrack) | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | December 7, 2018 | |||
Genre | Soundtrack | |||
Length | 36:15 | |||
Label | Deutsche Grammophon | |||
Max Richter chronology | ||||
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Singles from My Brilliant Friend (TV Series Soundtrack) | ||||
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The soundtrack album for the first season was released by Deutsche Grammophon on December 7, 2018, for digital download.[54] It was preceded by the release of the single "Elena & Lila" on November 30, 2018.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Elena & Lila" | 4:53 |
2. | "Whispers" | 3:41 |
3. | "Your Reflection" | 3:35 |
4. | "The Days Go By" | 2:43 |
5. | "Interior Dialogues" | 1:37 |
6. | "In the Dark" | 2:30 |
7. | "In Spite of All" | 2:10 |
8. | "Brilliant Clouds" | 1:11 |
9. | "In Remembrance of You" | 4:57 |
10. | "Shimmering Clouds" | 1:15 |
11. | "She Was Running" | 2:08 |
12. | "Our Reflection" | 5:35 |
Total length: | 36:15 |
The first season features additional material from Richter's solo discography.[55]
All music is composed by Max Richter
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Spring 1" (from the album Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, 2012) | Max Richter, Antonio Vivaldi | 2:31 |
2. | "Summer 2" (from the album Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, 2012) | Richter, Vivaldi | 3:59 |
3. | "Cypher" (from the single Cypher, 2018) | 7:43 | |
4. | "Aria 2 – Pt. 1" (from the album Sleep, 2015) | 1:19 | |
5. | "Infra 5" (from the album Infra, 2010) | 5:16 | |
6. | "Infra 8" (from the album Infra, 2010) | 3:21 | |
7. | "Love Song (Cascade)" (from the album Perfect Sense, 2011) | 1:02 | |
8. | "Organum" (from the album The Blue Notebooks, 2004) | 3:13 | |
9. | "Dream 13 (Minus Even)" (from the album From Sleep, 2015) | 8:52 | |
10. | "Vladimir's Blues" (from the album The Blue Notebooks, 2004) | 1:18 | |
11. | "Iconography" (from the album The Blue Notebooks, 2004) | 3:38 | |
12. | "Chorale/Glow – Pt. 1" (from the album Sleep, 2015) | 2:00 | |
13. | "Circles from The Rue Simon – Crubellier" (from the album 24 Postcards in Full Colour, 2008) | 1:04 | |
14. | "Dream 19 (Pulse) – Pt. 6" (from the album Sleep, 2015) | 3:17 | |
15. | "Interior Dreams an Idea" (from the album Henry May Long, 2009) | 2:18 | |
16. | "Kierling/Doubt" (from the album 24 Postcards in Full Colour, 2008) | 0:50 | |
17. | "Space 11 (Invisible Pages Over)" (from the album From Sleep, 2015) | 5:15 | |
18. | "Space 17 (Chains) – Pt. 7" (from the album Sleep, 2015) | 1:08 | |
19. | "Space 21 (Petrichor)" (from the album From Sleep, 2015) | 4:47 | |
20. | "Sublunar – Pt. 1" (from the album Sleep, 2015) | 1:29 |
My Brilliant Friend, Season 2 (TV Series Soundtrack) | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | May 1, 2020 | |||
Genre | Soundtrack | |||
Length | 54:51 | |||
Label | Deutsche Grammophon | |||
Max Richter chronology | ||||
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The soundtrack album for the second season was released by Deutsche Grammophon on May 1, 2020, for digital download.[56] The soundtrack features material from Richter's solo discography.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Elena and Lila (Titles Season 2)" | 1:13 |
2. | "Sub Piano (MBF Version)" (from the album Infra, 2010) | 0:49 |
3. | "Protest March (Pt. 1)" | 1:09 |
4. | "Protest March (Pt. 2)" | 2:32 |
5. | "Organum (MBF Version)" (from the album The Blue Notebooks, 2004) | 3:15 |
6. | "Leo (MBF Version)" (from the reissue of the album Songs from Before, 2014) | 2:11 |
7. | "She Won't Answer" | 2:35 |
8. | "The Young Mariner (MBF Version)" (from the album Henry May Long, 2009) | 4:06 |
9. | "Harmonium (MBF Version)" (from the album Songs from Before, 2006) | 4:25 |
10. | "Cinema Music" | 6:28 |
11. | "Don't Put Sad Ideas In My Head / All By Themselves" | 3:21 |
12. | "Winter 2 (MBF Version)" (from the album Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, 2012) | 2:53 |
13. | "Return 16 (time capsule) [Edit]" (from the album Sleep, 2015) | 9:14 |
14. | "moth-like stars (Edit)" (from the album Sleep, 2015) | 10:40 |
Total length: | 54:51 |
My Brilliant Friend, Season 3 (Original Soundtrack) | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | March 4, 2022 | |||
Genre | Soundtrack | |||
Length | 29:47 | |||
Label | Deutsche Grammophon | |||
Max Richter chronology | ||||
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The soundtrack album for the third season was released by Deutsche Grammophon on March 4, 2022, for digital download.[57] The soundtrack features material from Richter's solo discography.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Romance I" | 1:57 |
2. | "Leo (MBF Version)" (from the reissue of the album Songs from Before, 2014) | 2:11 |
3. | "Spring 1 (MBF Version)" (from the album Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, 2012) | 2:32 |
4. | "Romance II" | 1:40 |
5. | "This Picture Of Us. P." (from the album 24 Postcards in Full Colour, 2008) | 1:38 |
6. | "Sub Piano (MBF Version)" (from the album Infra, 2010) | 0:49 |
7. | "Fragment" (from the album Songs from Before, 2006) | 1:44 |
8. | "Romance III" | 1:55 |
9. | "Vladimir's Blues" (from the album The Blue Notebooks, 2004) | 1:21 |
10. | "Romance IV" | 1:39 |
11. | "Romance V" | 1:41 |
12. | "moth-like stars (Edit)" (from the album Sleep, 2015) | 10:40 |
Total length: | 29:47 |
The series has received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has a 93% "certified fresh" rating with an average score of 8.4 out of 10 based on 57 reviews. The site's critical consensus is, "My Brilliant Friend is an expansive epic that gleans rapturous beauty from the most desolate of circumstances, but it is the intimacy between the central duo – and the remarkable performances that bring them to life – that audiences will remember most vividly".[58] On Metacritic, it has a score of 87 out of 100 based on 20 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[59] Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett of The Guardian stated "How revolutionary it still feels to see female friendship explored onscreen in this way. It goes without saying that it takes the Bechdel test and turns it into ragù."[60]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has a 100% "certified fresh" rating with an average score of 9.5 out of 10 based on 15 reviews. The site's critical consensus is, "Gorgeously shot and full of incredible performances, My Brilliant Friend's second season expands its small world with rich results."[61] On Metacritic, it has a score of 92 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[62]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has a 100% "certified fresh" rating with an average score of 9.2 out of 10 based on 11 reviews.[63] On Metacritic, it has a score of 96 out of 100 based on 6 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[64]
In 2019, My Brilliant Friend was nominated for a Peabody Award.[65]
On April 2, 2019, HBO Home Entertainment released the first season on DVD and Digital in region 1.[66]