'My Brilliant Friend' Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Lenu and Lila's friendship cracks as promises are broken
Spoilers for 'My Brilliant Friend' Season 2 Episode 4 Chapter 12 'The Kiss'
Lila Cerullo (Gaia Girace) is to go on a holiday for the summer to Ischia. The sun and the water is supposed to make her healthier to bear children. She asks Elena Greco aka Lenu (Margherita Mazzucco) to accompany her to Ischia. Lenu, who is set to work through the summer at the bookstore, refuses to first. But Lila agrees to pay her the same amount if she comes along.
And so, Lila and Lenu, along with a pregnant and newly-married Pinuccia (Federica Sollazzo) and Lila's mother Nunzia (Valentina Acca) cross the waters to reach to Ischia. On their first day at the beach, Lenu and the girls are surprised to see Donato Sarratore (Emanuele Valenti). But soon, Lenu is immensely pleased to see his son Nino (Francesco Serpico), her heart fluttering as usual at the sight of him.
They spend most of their week at the beach with Lenu and Nino engaged in their usual socio-political banter. Only this time, Lila has suddenly taken an interest.
After berating Lenu and Nino with her hurtful jabs for trying to fit in the liberal, pseudo-intellectual circles of the rich, Lila tries to seem relevant to the young Sarratore boy. She seems to have taken a sudden sharp interest in Lenu's books borrowing them and taking them to the beach, sparking a conversation with Nino. Upset, Lenu tells her she mustn't bring her books to the beach with all the sand around. Lila agrees but doesn't stand by her promise.
Despite their unspoken words and stolen glances, Lenu can see through what is happening. On different instances through the episode, she notices with unease and anxiety their increasing proximity. It bothers her, as it bothers us - even as this isn't new information for the readers of Elena Ferrante's books - that Lila should seek attention from Nino despite being married to Stefano (Giovanni Amura).
At the beach, a pregnant Pinuccia is becoming increasingly restless - Rino only visits during the weekends and every time he does, Pinu grows nervous. The more time she spends with Nino's friend Bruno (Francesco Russo) at the beach, the more restless she becomes. But on one of his visits, Rino doesn't understand her anguish - breaking plates and vases in a fit of rage, taking her upstairs for a "talk". By now, girls and women of the neighborhood know what "talk" means.
This scene, of Rino's rage leaving the plates and vases, smashed on the floor and the flowers astray gives way to a horrible confession by Lila in Lenu's bedroom. Nino kissed her, she tells Lenu. Such that his lips still feel hard against hers. She tells Lenu to beware of the boy - he is not a good man. Lenu conceals her pain, breaking down only after Lila leaves the room.
Directed by Alice Rohrwacher, 'The Kiss' is a wonderfully shot episode capturing the turbulence of Lenu and Lila's friendship at this stage in their lives. The Italian director brings a fantasmical charm to the blue waters of Ischia with the warm, playful summers captured in a merry scene or two. In other scenes, Lenu's apprehensions about their growing proximity are contagious, with audiences empathizing with her desire for Nino and betrayal by Lila.
'The Kiss' shows Lila taking charge of her femininity, constantly derided for being unable to bear Stefano's children; Lila takes agency of her femininity and goes after what she (thinks) she desires. Only Lenu had her heart set on it.
'My Brilliant Friend' airs on Mondays at 10 pm on HBO.