Elena Ferrante on Film

Although she has sold a great many books, novelist Elena Ferrante is perhaps best known for not being known: the name is a pseudonym, and despite efforts to determine who she (or he) is, no consensus has been reached. With the arrival of the new HBO miniseries My Brilliant Friend—based on Ferrante’s Neapolitan quartet—there may be interest in this set featuring two obscure Italian films inspired by two other novels. Troubling Love (1995), directed by Mario Martone and adapted from Ferrante’s 1992 debut, follows a young woman named Delia’s (Anna Bonaiuto) investigation after her mother drowns under mysterious circumstances. Delia’s return to Naples reconnects her with relatives and old acquaintances while also rekindling unhappy memories of a childhood with an abusive father that are glimpsed in gauzy flashbacks. Roberto Faenza’s The Days of Abandonment (2005), based on Ferrante’s 2002 second novel, recounts the psychological collapse and gradual recovery of Olga (Margherita Buy), whose husband Mario (Luca Zingaretti) suddenly announces he is leaving her for another woman. The lead performances are quite good, although both films are basically soap operas, albeit well-made productions that will appeal to fans of Ferrante’s work (and the HBO series). Extras include interviews with Bonaiuto, Buy, Martone, Faenza, and Andrea Occhipinti (a producer on Troubling Love); the featurette "Elena and the Books"; and an illustrated booklet with introductions to the movies and excerpts from letters exchanged by Ferrante and the filmmakers. Recommended. (F. Swietek)