Starring: Margherita Mazzucco, Gaia Girace, Elisa del Genio, Ludovica Nasti, Valentina. Harrumphs the older woman, “She studied so much her brain’s gone. The story goes on to cover more than 60 years of their lives as Elena tries to describe the mystery of Lila. When Lenu announces that she and Pietro are forgoing a church wedding, Immacolata interprets their tweedy anti-papal protest as her daughter’s childish naivete about how men cheat women out of their wifely standing by refusing the marriage’s consecration. While her father (Luca Gallone) parades her around town like a minor celebrity, her mother, Immacolata (Anna Rita Vitolo) - in an achingly familiar dynamic - whiplashes between pride and disdain (though mostly disdain) over an eldest daughter whose academic instruction, for which the family sacrificed so much, has made her a disapproving outsider.

The characters are so well developed and almost haunting. But until then, Lenu’s stuck back at home with her parents. In an age when everyone is making super hero and action movies, this is so refreshing and brilliant. HBO is currently airing the eight-episode third season of My Brilliant Friend, which concludes April 18.Set in the ’70s, Season 3 opens with Lila working herself to the bone at a meat processing plant to provide for her young son after fleeing her abusive husband, and Lenu trying to enjoy the fruits of her literary success and looking forward to the day she’ll marry her soon-to-be-professor boyfriend Pietro (Matteo Cecchi), after which she can move away from her family to Florence. This mix between a strongly characterized environment, marked first of all by the dialect, then by its humanity and by the emotions heightened through the power of a female friendship, has proved to be a driving force for seriality, as well as a showcase for the creativity and expertise of Italy’s audio-visual industry.” “What lies behind this success is the precious opportunity offered by Elena Ferrante’s four Neapolitan Novels and the realistic, exciting and originally Italian imagery that has brought to life the audio-visual transposition of the friendship between Lila and Len. “ My Brilliant Friend is an asset that has proven the success of our production partnership with HBO Entertainment, Fandango, Fremantle, The Apartment and Wildside,” added Maria Pia Ammirati, director of Rai Fiction. We look forward to completing the quartet and know The Story of the Lost Child will bring the series to a close with the same heart, intimacy and epic storytelling that has defined Elena and Lila’s journey from the beginning.” We’re deeply grateful to the entire creative team led by Saverio Costanzo and Lorenzo Mieli, and to our season three director Daniele Luchetti. “It’s both thrilling and bittersweet to embark on this fourth and final season. “When we decided to bring Elena Ferrante’s masterpiece Neapolitan Novels to the screen, we knew Elena and Lila’s story had to be told in its entirety,” said Francesca Orsi, executive vp HBO programming. Jeremy Strong on Kendall Roy's 'Succession' Fate: 'He's Stuck in a Silent Scream Forever'

Review my brilliant friend