Ferrante Fever Giacomo Durzi, Italy, 2017, 74m English and Italian with English subtitles With over 5 million copies of her “Neapolitan Novels” sold and publication rights in 50 countries, Elena Ferrante is a global literary sensation. A journey between New York City’s cultural hub and Ferrante’s native Italy explores how an anonymous, translated author’s visceral tales of love and friendship gained such an enthusiastic following. Ann Goldstein, Sarah McNally, Jonathan Franzen, Roberto Saviano and others weigh in on the Ferrante “mania” and what makes her work—and her mysterious persona—so uniquely captivating.
L’amore molesto / Troubling Love Mario Martone, Italy, 1995, 104m Italian with English subtitles What happened to Amalia? Who was with her the night she died? Her daughter Delia is saddened by the news, yet she is not surprised. She considers her mother to be a disgrace even before she hears of the sordid circumstances of her death. Delia travels home to Naples for the funeral and tries to piece together her mother’s recent life. By doing so, she starts to confront her childhood memories that shaped their family history. Based on the first novel by Elena Ferrante.