Italian stories resonate in China
Filmmaker and actress discuss the adaptation of My Brilliant Friend, Zheng Zheng and Wu Wanzhen report in Shanghai.
The series' impact in China transcends entertainment. Costanzo recalls a touching moment: "A young woman traveled from a distant province to Shanghai just to give me a letter, telling me that whenever she feels vulnerable or discouraged, she turns to the series for strength. It has become her source of courage to pursue her aspirations."
For Costanzo, the primary challenge lay in translating the dense, introspective nature of Ferrante's work to the screen. "The books are written in the first person. It's very much inside herself," he explains. This led to the implementation of the voice-over narration of the main protagonist Elena Greco, also known as Lenu.
Rohrwacher, who voices Lenu in the first three seasons before physically embodying her in the fourth, describes her approach as a psychological metamorphosis.
"I had to empty myself entirely, becoming a vessel for Lenu's experiences," she explains, noting the challenge of maintaining character consistency while portraying her evolution to maturity.
