My Brilliant Friend: Series Four

The fourth and final season of this individually adored prestige drama brings Elena Ferrante's books vividly to life, winning the hearts of audiences and critics around the world. For all their differences, Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo were inseparable from the moment they met at school in 1950s Naples. With epic scale and ambition, the first three series plot their troubled path together: the ups and downs of Elena's life as a successful novelist in Pisa, Lila's marriage to an abusive husband and subsequent hardships as a single mother working in a cured meats factory. The fourth instalment of the saga, titled "Story of the Lost Child," delves into the adult lives of Elena and Lila. They find themselves entangled in the turmoil of Italy in the late 80s, nearing the end of decades of political violence and social unrest. Elena is preoccupied by the painful separation from Pietro, the success of her novel, and her tumultuous relationship with Nino. She yearns to reclaim lost time with her daughters, who now seem more obedient to their Airota grandparents. As the years unfold, Pietro forges a new path, while Elena, despite Nino's deceit, resolves to seek stability and relocates with her daughters to Naples, where they can rebuild their lives together. In Naples, Elena discovers she is pregnant once again, coinciding with Lila's pregnancy by Enzo. The two friends give birth within weeks of each other. Amid motherhood and career demands, amid betrayals, threats, disappearances, and natural disasters, Elena and Lila once again reside in the same neighbourhood. They must now navigate new and formidable challenges, clashing, confronting, and supporting each other along the way.