I'll be honest and admit I had never heard of Italian author Elena Ferrante (a pseudonym) nor read any of her novels. This brief documentary, only 1 hr. and 14 min. focuses on her 4 books known as the Neapolitan Novels, which have become a global sensation, with sales of over 10 million copies in more than 50 countries.
Of course, it is highly intriguing that Ferrante has kept complete anonymity over many years and no one has been able to conclusively prove who she is. She has refused to promote her novels in any way, nor has she given interviews to the media. Ferrante has published La Frantumaglia, which is a work of essays, letters, and written interviews that give some insight into her thinking and perspectives.
Despite not having read her works, I still found the film to be quite interesting, even fascinating at times. I love movies but, as a rule, I'm not a fiction reader, but this doc sure sparked my interest enough to perhaps, at least, try the first novel and see how I like it.
I think the criticisms of reviewers that the movie is too one-sided in praise of Ferrante and offers virtually no counters to all the enthusiasm of the interviewees is valid. However, I still found the doc quite engrossing and I like learning about things that I was not aware of beforehand.
