What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedMy Brilliant Friend
Saverio Costanzo · Series · 2018
If you loved My Brilliant Friend, start with The Eight Mountains (Charlotte Vandermeersch, 2022) — a film on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 films and 2 podcasts, each matched to My Brilliant Friend across media.
What hooked you in My Brilliant Friend was the way decades of shifting social landscapes are distilled through the lens of lifelong, complex intimacy.
Books on the same thread
MY FRIENDS
Fredrik Backman · Book
Shares a thread with My Brilliant Friend: memory.
Much like the reflective narrative found in My Brilliant Friend, this story uses the weight of memory and the mystery of the past to examine how relationships evolve over time.
In the Margins
Elena Ferrante · Book · 2022
Explores: Female Authorship, Writing Process, Literary Influences.
If you were captivated by the internal world of the narrator in My Brilliant Friend, these essays offer a deeper look into the creative mind behind that iconic literary friendship.
Another Brooklyn
Jacqueline Woodson · Book · 2017
Shares 2 threads with My Brilliant Friend: Memory, Female Friendship.
This novel mirrors the evocative power of My Brilliant Friend by using a chance encounter to unlock the intense, formative bonds of girlhood and the inevitable ache of drifting apart.
History
Elsa Morante · Book · 2015
Explores: the plight of the subaltern, history from below, the dehumanizing effects of war.
Sharing the Neorealist roots that ground My Brilliant Friend, this epic captures the brutal reality of historical upheaval and the struggle for survival in a changing, often unforgiving, Italian landscape.
Films on the same thread
Cinema Paradiso
Film · 1988
Shares a thread with My Brilliant Friend: Coming-of-age drama.
This film echoes the nostalgic, character-driven heart of My Brilliant Friend, focusing on how a profound early connection shapes an entire lifetime of memories and the artist's own perspective.
The Eight Mountains
Charlotte Vandermeersch · Film · 2022
Shares a thread with My Brilliant Friend: Coming-of-Age Drama.
Like the lifelong bond at the center of My Brilliant Friend, this film explores the complexities of a decades-long relationship set against the evocative backdrop of the Italian landscape.
The Best of Youth
Film · 2003
Explores: Brotherhood, Social Change, Political Activism.
This epic drama captures the same sweeping sense of lost time and social change seen in My Brilliant Friend, tracing how personal destinies fracture against the backdrop of Italian history.
We All Loved Each Other So Much
Film · 1974
Shares a thread with My Brilliant Friend: Memory.
This film shares the melancholic focus on post-war disillusionment found in My Brilliant Friend, illustrating how the shared history of friends is tested by the realities of a changing society.
Podcasts on the same thread
Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
Team Coco & Earwolf · Podcast · 2026
Explores: parasocial relationships, professional intimacy, self-deprecating humor.
While tonally distinct from My Brilliant Friend, this podcast explores the same fundamental human desire for lasting connection and the vulnerability inherent in trying to sustain adult friendships.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts · Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with My Brilliant Friend: female friendship.
This podcast centers on the same essential female friendship dynamic that drives My Brilliant Friend, highlighting how shared stories and mutual support act as a vital coping mechanism for life.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is My Brilliant Friend based on a true story?
The series follows Elena Greco as she writes the story of her lifelong friendship. While the narrative is framed as a personal account from an elderly woman reflecting on her past, the production is a fictional television drama directed by Saverio Costanzo.
What is the premise of My Brilliant Friend?
My Brilliant Friend centers on Elena Greco, who begins writing about her life and the disappearance of her most important friend. The story unfolds as she reflects on their shared history while living in a house filled with books during her later years.
Who is the main character in My Brilliant Friend?
The protagonist of My Brilliant Friend is Elena Greco. The narrative follows her perspective as an elderly woman who decides to document the complex story of her friendship after her companion vanishes without a trace.
How does My Brilliant Friend begin?
My Brilliant Friend begins with Elena Greco, now an elderly woman, discovering that her most important friend has disappeared. She turns to her computer to start writing the story of their friendship, which serves as the foundation for the entire series.