Giordana Marengo
Giovanna
Overview
Young Giovanna navigates her passage from childhood into adolescence as she experiences the different sides of Naples during the 1990s. A girl in search of her true reflection in a divided Naples: the Naples of the heights, which assumes a mask of refinement, and the Naples of the depths, a place of excess and vulgarity.
Seasons
- Status
- Ended
- Seasons
- 1 season
- Episodes
- 6 episodes
- First aired
- Jan 4, 2023
Cast
6 people
Reviews
5 min readThe Mirror and the Mask
I’ve always been drawn to stories about the lies we tell ourselves—those quiet, corrosive untruths that shape our lives before we even realize they’re there. The Lying Life of Adults, Elena Ferrante’s latest novel adapted for Netflix, is a story about exactly that: the way adolescence forces us to confront the gap between who we think we are and who we’re becoming. But here’s the thing about adaptations: they’re not just translations. They’re interpretations, and sometimes, the most interesting thing about them isn’t whether they’re faithful, but whether they feel true.
This series arrives with a built-in audience, one that knows Ferrante’s work intimately—or at least knows the reputation of her Neapolitan novels. There’s an expectation there, a weight. The book’s title alone is a provocation: The Lying Life of Adults.
It suggests that adulthood isn’t just a phase of life but a performance, one where the masks we wear become so familiar we mistake them for our faces. The series, at least in these early episodes, seems to understand that. It’s less about plot twists and more about the slow unraveling of a girl’s understanding of the world around her.
Giovanna, played by Giordana Marengo, is our guide through this unraveling, and Marengo’s performance is quietly devastating. She has the kind of face that betrays every thought before she can hide it—a quality that serves her well in a story about the cost of honesty.
Naples is more than just a setting here; it’s a character, divided between the heights of refinement and the depths of vulgarity. The series leans into this contrast, using the city’s geography as a metaphor for the social and emotional divides in Giovanna’s life. The Naples of the heights is all polished surfaces and careful manners, where adults speak in riddles and children are expected to play their parts without question.
The Naples of the depths, meanwhile, is raw, unfiltered, a place where emotions spill out in shouts and tears. The camera lingers on these spaces, not just as backdrops but as extensions of the characters’ inner lives. There’s a scene early on where Giovanna walks through the city, her reflection caught in shop windows and puddles, and it’s impossible not to feel the way the city itself is pulling her in different directions.
Audience Opinions
Audience 6.8/10
"A visually rich adaptation of Ferrante’s novel that struggles to capture the raw emotional intensity of its source material."
The series is praised for its atmospheric portrayal of Naples and the strong performances, particularly from Giordana Marengo and Valeria Golino, which bring depth to the coming-of-age drama. However, many find the pacing slow and the narrative less gripping than the book, latestnetflix.com maintains, leaving some viewers underwhelmed by the adaptation’s emotional impact.
What viewers praise
- Strong lead performances Giordana Marengo and Valeria Golino deliver compelling performances that anchor the series.
- Visually atmospheric The series effectively captures the moody, immersive setting of Naples, enhancing the storytelling.
- Faithful to the book Viewers familiar with the novel appreciate the adaptation’s adherence to the source material’s themes and characters.
Common complaints
- Slow pacing The deliberate narrative pace frustrates some, who find the story drags in places.
- Lacks emotional depth While visually rich, the series fails to fully convey the raw emotional intensity of the novel for some viewers.
- Underdeveloped side characters Supporting characters often feel thinly sketched, reducing their impact on the story.
Recommended for
Fans of Elena Ferrante’s work Coming-of-age drama enthusiasts Lovers of Italian cinema Atmospheric storytelling fans
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsNetflix’s The Lying Life of Adults: A Ferrante Adaptation Steeped in Secrets
Elena Ferrante’s novels have a knack for exposing the raw, often ugly truths beneath polished facades—and her 2019 bestseller The Lying Life of Adults is no exception. Now, the book has been reimagined as a six-episode Italian miniseries for Netflix, bringing its coming-of-age drama to life with a cast that includes some of Italy’s most compelling actors. latestnetflix.com's view is that but how does the adaptation measure up to the source material?And what’s the real story behind its creation?
From Page to Screen: The Ferrante Effect
Ferrante’s work is notoriously protective of its mysteries, and The Lying Life of Adults is no different. The novel follows Giovanna, a young Neapolitan girl whose life unravels when she discovers the lies her parents have built their marriage upon. The series, adapted by an unnamed creative team (details on the director or showrunner remain scarce), stays faithful to this premise, at least according to the limited evidence. Grokipedia describes it as a "six-episode Italian coming-of-age drama miniseries adapted from Elena Ferrante's 2019 novel," suggesting a tight, contained narrative 
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqjQwZyJ5tg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXon7B1SKHA
What’s clear is that Netflix is banking on the Ferrante brand. The streaming giant has already seen success with My Brilliant Friend, another Ferrante adaptation, and The Lying Life of Adults seems poised to capitalize on that momentum. Trailers tease a visually rich, emotionally charged story, with shots of Naples’ gritty beauty and the tense dynamics between characters . But beyond the aesthetics, the series’ biggest draw may be its cast.
The Cast: A Mix of Rising Stars and Veteran Talent
Leading the series is Giordana Marengo, a relative newcomer who plays Giovanna. Her performance will be under scrutiny—Ferrante’s protagonists are complex, often unlikable, and always deeply human. Alongside her, Valeria Golino (Rain Man, Portrait of a Lady on Fire) brings star power as Giovanna’s mother, Vittoria. Golino’s ability to balance vulnerability and steeliness makes her a strong fit for the role, though how closely she adheres to the novel’s portrayal remains to be seen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnmAKNm-1OI
The supporting cast includes Alessandro Preziosi, Pina Turco, Raffaella Rea, and Biagio Forestieri, all of whom have established careers in Italian film and television. Their involvement suggests a production with serious artistic ambitions, though specifics about their characters or arcs are thin in the available evidence. One teaser trailer hints at the fraught relationship between Giovanna and her aunt, played by Pina Turco, a figure who becomes central to the girl’s unraveling .
The Netflix Machine: Hype vs. Reality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhNvemmvw2c
Netflix has rolled out a steady stream of trailers and teasers for The Lying Life of Adults, a sign that the platform is eager to build anticipation. The official trailer, released in late 2023, leans heavily into the novel’s themes of deception and self-discovery, with a voiceover that ominously declares, "The truth is a lie we tell ourselves" . Another teaser focuses on the contrast between Naples’ working-class neighborhoods and the more affluent world Giovanna’s family inhabits, a visual metaphor for the class tensions at the heart of the story .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiuOof7d5TU
But how much of this is substance, and how much is marketing? Reviews are scarce, and the few that exist (like a YouTube "review" that calls it a "retro coming-of-age story") offer little critical depth . Without broader analysis, it’s hard to gauge whether the series captures Ferrante’s signature blend of psychological intensity and social commentary—or if it falls into the trap of many adaptations, prioritizing style over substance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H28ZYGcXgc
One thing is certain: Netflix is treating this as a major release. The platform’s announcement video, which dropped in early 2023, framed the series as a must-watch event, though it offered little beyond the basics . For now, fans of Ferrante’s work will have to wait until the series premieres to see if it lives up to the hype.
What’s Next?
With the series already out (or at least available in some regions by late 2023), the conversation will soon shift from anticipation to reception. Will The Lying Life of Adults join My Brilliant Friend as a critically acclaimed Ferrante adaptation? Or will it fade into the background of Netflix’s crowded slate?
For now, the evidence is too thin to say. The trailers promise a visually stunning, emotionally charged drama, but without deeper dives into the creative process or critical reviews, the behind-the-scenes story remains frustratingly opaque. One thing’s for sure: if the series captures even a fraction of Ferrante’s ability to expose the lies we tell ourselves, it’ll be worth watching.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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