Edoardo de Angelis
La vita bugiarda degli adulti

Due to the seasonal flu that, as usual, somewhat ruined the Christmas period, I decided to dive into "Netflix Paradise" and watch the latest series produced by the famous American streaming platform. I'm talking about The Lying Life of Adults, directed by Edoardo De Angelis, a Neapolitan director known for making some TV films inspired by the comedies of Eduardo De Filippo, and based on the book of the same name by Elena Ferrante, author of the novel cycle My Brilliant Friend, a source of inspiration for a successful fiction broadcast by Rai and even screened at the Venice Film Festival, where it received numerous accolades.

The Lying Life of Adults (a title, to be honest, not very exciting) is set in the vibrant Naples of the nineties, a city shaken by political turmoil and animated by a cultural renaissance that found one of its highest expressions in the fervent musical scene of those years (not by chance, the six episodes feature some cameos from artists who ignited the audiences of the time: 99 Posse, Almamegretta, Teresa De Sio).

In this context unfolds the story of Giovanna, played by newcomer Giordana Marengo, a teenager eager to escape the hypocrisies of a bourgeois family and looking for her own place in the world.

Giovanna's rebellious temperament manifests itself in various ways, from "alternative" clothing to frantic reading, from breakdancing to attending social centers like Officina 99, where people dance, smoke joints, and listen to songs that talk about revolution, freedom, and emancipation (in reality, even that world is marked by hatreds and contradictions, promptly highlighted by the director Edoardo De Angelis).

The turning point is the meeting with Aunt Vittoria, to whom an excellent Valeria Golino gives voice and body. Vittoria is Giovanna's father's sister, always isolated from the family unit because she was considered crazy, mad, and marginalized. The girl, on the contrary, seems intrigued by her and manages to get her father to arrange a meeting, which takes place at the aunt's house, located in a working-class neighborhood very different from the so-called "good Naples."

Without going into too much detail, one can say that aunt and niece will form a real, deep bond, in which Vittoria and the people around her embody the desire for freedom always pursued by Giovanna (even there, however, there will not be a lack of arguments, breakups, and more). At the same time, the discovery of a precious bracelet given by Vittoria to her niece, which her father had taken possession of, will allow Giovanna to discover unpleasant truths about her own family and how human relationships are tainted by lies, betrayals, and falsehoods.

The ending will obviously be open, leaving us with a perhaps grown, more aware, and adult Giovanna, but still searching for herself.

The Lying Life of Adults is an overall honest work, characterized, however, by lights and shadows that need to be analyzed.

Among the strengths, I would undoubtedly include the accuracy of the historical reconstruction, meaning that Naples at the end of the century characterized by social and cultural tensions that De Angelis seems to know well, having been a teenager at that time. Also surprising is the remarkable performance of Valeria Golino, capable of inhabiting the character of Vittoria and showcasing a repertoire made of tousled hair, endless cigarettes, worn-out red nail polish, and bold miniskirts, all combined with a tight, foul-mouthed Neapolitan dialect, able to make one reflect and entertain at the same time (memorable is the maxim according to which when having sex, one must scream, giving free rein to one's instincts). And among the positive aspects, I would mention precisely the direction of De Angelis, which, despite some blemishes, stands out for its beautiful camera movements, music video-like slow-motion sequences, and excellently chosen music, although a bit redundant.

Let's now come to the "painful notes". One of the things I liked the least is the lackluster performance of some cast members, including the young Giordana Marengo. Sure, a comparison with the serials of the seventies is impossible, as they were heavily influenced by theatrical acting, but hearing words not well enunciated and swallowed phrases does not help the comprehension of the dialogues, further complicated by what I consider an imperfect audio (music blasted at high volumes, whispered lines, etc.). Also perplexing are some phrases imbued with cloying rhetoric, which aim to teach great truths about life but instead appear unconvincing, as if taken from a bestselling book for young adults. Lastly, I did not appreciate the choice to sideline the character of Vittoria, especially from the fourth episode onward. I understand the need to delve into other dynamics, such as Giovanna's discomfort and her romantic troubles with Roberto, a strange man halfway between a university professor and a preacher, but it seems evident that the relationship between aunt and niece is one of the strengths of the plot and would have deserved more centrality, even at the cost of tweaking Elena Ferrante's text.

In the end, The Lying Life of Adults is a series that fails to make a mark and, despite containing touching or funny moments, does not fully achieve its goals, risking getting lost in the vast sea of contemporary television. Perhaps a more careful choice of actors, a better adaptation of the dialogues, and a different articulation of the story could have allowed the series directed by De Angelis to have a greater impact, but unfortunately, that has not happened, and thus we face a project not entirely satisfying, which could leave more than one viewer dissatisfied.

A real pity.