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The Story of a New Name – My Brilliant Friend

Play trailer 1:23 Poster for The Story of a New Name – My Brilliant Friend Feb 2020 Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 96% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Pseudonymous author Elena Ferrante has written four mega-popular Neapolitan novels that explore the complicated intensity of female friendship. "My Brilliant Friend" is the first in the series, and also the first to be adapted for television. Filmed in Italian, the eight-episode 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.
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My Brilliant Friend — The Story of a New Name

My Brilliant Friend — The Story of a New Name

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Critics Consensus

Gorgeously shot and full of incredible performances, My Brilliant Friend's second season expands its small world with rich results.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Mail on Sunday (UK) Jun 22, 2020
5/5
Even if there was no narrative whatsoever, I'd go away happy, as I am always stunned just by the look of it. Each scene is like a ravishing painting with every inch of canvas used, right up to the corners. Go to Full Review Matthew Gilbert Boston Globe Mar 27, 2020
The dramas that play out range from the brutal to the more purely psychological, and all of them are compelling, not least of all thanks to the lead actresses' stunning performances. Go to Full Review Dorothy Rabinowitz Wall Street Journal Mar 20, 2020
My Brilliant Friend has returned for a second season more affecting, in an alarming way, than the first, though in every way just as impressive in its penetrating portraiture of Elena and Lila. Go to Full Review Akhil Arora Gadgets360 Dec 16, 2020
[What] makes My Brilliant Friend a great show is its deeply-felt exploration of female friendship. ... Their fierce bond, at times, feels like it's fuelled by a rivalry too, with both defying what society has in store for them. Go to Full Review David Nice The Arts Desk Jun 30, 2020
5/5
All the characters are perfectly cast, faces striking, especially those of the loan-shark, camorra-ist Solara family whose actions determine most of the disasters or plot twists. Go to Full Review Euan Ferguson Observer (UK) Jun 29, 2020
My Brilliant Friend has returned after a frankly actionable two-year wait and it is better than ever. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Panos T @RT35243857 Apr 12, 2026 I'm 55 years old. If it's not the best TV series I've ever seen, it's one of the best definitely. I loved the story: friendship of two girls (not boys) into a lifelong journey in a beautiful city (Napoli). Excellent performances from everyone, actors, directors. Excellent photography. Excellent music. You can even cry watching the drama. No, I changed my mind... It's the best TV series I've ever seen !! See more Joshua F @RT29381580 Sep 13, 2024 Magical! Takes its time. Wonderful characters and actors. The design. The paste. All of it. Just wonderful. See more May 17, 2022 Better than season 1. Very worth a watch. See more PAT A @RT99224293 Apr 20, 2022 Brilliant! So moving. As an Italian American I learned a lot about the the social and political differences between the different regions, dialects and attitudes. See more Jun 2, 2020 I've often wondered when watching subtitled television and movies whether I'm enjoying it more because it is subtitled. I've always thought that perhaps I enjoyed Spiral more than, say Line of Duty, out of pure snobbery; how was I to know how nuanced the delivery of lines were when I don't understand the language? So thanks to my Brilliant Friend for confirming that I can actually see through wooden acting and melodramatic screenwriting, I'm just surprised at how on my own I stand here. I enjoyed series one, enough to be excited for two, but I find the acting so intensely dreadful, particularly from Lenu that I can't bear it. The way she opens those hefty doors in her families apartment even drives me mad. Lila stands slightly apart from the rest, whenever she's on screen it feels like a better show than it is, the cinematography and score also play into this premium feel. However, whenever the drama ratchets up a notch (particularly thinking about an argument between the rest of cast in the shoe shop) it feels like an episode of EastEnders as opposed to Parasite. The show looks beautiful, it's themes are appealing but ultimately, for me, it's the very definition of style over substance. See more May 20, 2020 Can't wait for season 3. See more Read all reviews
My Brilliant Friend — The Story of a New Name

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Cast & Crew

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Margherita Mazzucco

Elena

Gaia Girace

Lila

Giovanni Amura

Stefano Carracci

Francesco Serpico

Nino Sarratore

Anna Rita Vitolo

Immacolata Greco

Luca Gallone

Vittorio Greco

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Feb 10, 2020 The New Name Newly-married Lila grows profoundly resentful of her husband and finds new ways to carry on seeing Elena. Details Episode 2 Aired Feb 10, 2020 The Body A photograph of Lila on her wedding day is exhibited at a shop in the center of town, triggering admiration and gossip throughout the neighborhood. Details Episode 3 Aired Feb 17, 2020 Erasure Lila continues to hold a grudge against Stefano as the shoe shop opens and she goes to work at his new grocery store; Elena brings Lila to a party at her teacher's home. Details Episode 4 Aired Feb 17, 2020 The Kiss Elena agrees to a holiday in Ischia with Lila, knowing that Nino Sarratore will also be on the island. Details Episode 5 Aired Feb 24, 2020 The Betrayal On Ischia, an agonizing rift begins to form between Elena and Lila, as they adapt to their new roles in a new city. Details Episode 6 Aired Feb 24, 2020 Rage Elena plunges headfirst into her academic future, while Lila tackles problems of an entirely different nature. Details Episode 7 Aired Mar 2, 2020 The Secret Notebook In reading Lila's private diaries, Elena, now an accomplished college student, realizes how much her friend's new role has changed her. Details Episode 8 Aired Mar 2, 2020 The Blue Fairy Elena is struck with inspiration and begins to write her first novel; she gives the manuscript to Pietro Airota before returning to Naples. Details

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My Brilliant Friend — The Story of a New Name

My Brilliant Friend: Season 2 TV Teaser My Brilliant Friend: Season 2 TV Teaser 0:55 Now Playing My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Trailer - In The Weeks Ahead My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Trailer - In The Weeks Ahead 1:23 Now Playing My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Trailer My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Trailer 1:41 Now Playing My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 8 Clip - The Blue Fairy My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 8 Clip - The Blue Fairy 1:29 Now Playing My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 8 Season Finale Trailer My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 8 Season Finale Trailer 0:39 Now Playing My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 6 Clip - Nino and Lila My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 6 Clip - Nino and Lila 2:50 Now Playing My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 7 Trailer My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 7 Trailer 0:38 Now Playing My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 6 Trailer My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 6 Trailer 0:37 Now Playing My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 5 Trailer My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 5 Trailer 0:36 Now Playing My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 4 Trailer My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name: Season 2 Episode 4 Trailer 0:34 Now Playing View more videos
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My Brilliant Friend — The Story of a New Name

My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name View more photos

Season Info

Director
Saverio Costanzo, Alice Rohrwacher
Executive Producer
Lorenzo Mieli, Mario Gianani, Domenico Procacci, Paolo Sorrentino, Jennifer Schuur, Elena Recchia, Guido De Laurentiis
Screenwriter
Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci, Saverio Costanzo
Network
HBO
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Italian
Release Date
Feb 10, 2020
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