These days I hear the sound of Italian much less than French (I’m living in France), Portuguese (I’m constantly listening to Brazilian music) and Spanish (my Netflix watchlist is a constant stream of Hispanophone films and series), but when I do hear it, I instantly have a feeling of “arghhh, I’ve missed this!”. Italian, of all Latin languages, is the one that feels most like “wine upon the lips”, as Virginia Woolf once said.
Don’t forget to check out my post on 5 free ways to become the ultimate active listener to turn your viewing activities into highly fruitful learning opportunities.
Here’s a list of the latest series I’ve watched on Netflix and my take on them:
From Scratch
Ok this one is a total cheat… From Scratch is actually an American drama series and it’s split between Florence and Los Angeles (with Sicily also featuring towards the end).
The series commits a number of puke-worthy sins, the most irritating being the fawning, drawn-out looks the two protagonists share in the first few episodes of the series. However, once you get past that, and take into consideration that this is an adaptation of a memoir by Tembi Locke, it’s a good watch with a fair amount of Italian in it throughout.
Generazione 56K
Generazione 56K is a relatively new series; I was quite surprised at the amount of anglophone music in this series, which gives it a slight indie vibe, but it’s nice to see modern Italy, as a lot of Italian shows and films that reach the international stage often play on the history and traditions of the country to the point that it feels like Italians live in a distant past.
The series is split between Naples and neighbouring island Procida and the 56K in the title refers to the fact that the central characters start their teenager years around the time of the invention of the 56K modem. The story explores the nostalgia of a simpler time before internet dating; it’s a good attempt at appealing to millenials but misses the mark with its extreme predictability.
La vita bugiarda degli adulti (The Lying Life of Adults)
La vita bugiarda degli adulti is a tv adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novel of the same name. It’s got an incredibly weird feel to it, which is very true to the book.
Visually it’s beautiful and the series’ bizarreness makes it a compelling watch. I’d say that if you know Ferrante’s books then this is something that keeps you watching. I think that if I’d come across it as “random” new series, I might not have persisted after episode one because the pace is slow. But with Ferrante, you always know there’s something coming.
Curon
Curon is a supernatural drama and I’d say it’s the Italian answer to the series Dark in its setting and style.
It’s eery as hell and the Italian is easy to follow.
Lidia Poët
The series Lidia Poët is based on the life a woman of the same name, who was the first modern female Italian lawyer. Her disbarment led to a movement to allow women to practice law and hold public office in Italy.
This series is so great; it’s got a Sherlock Holmes (the series) quality to it in its comedic style, and the visuals are a feast for the eyes. Lots of colour and great architectural shots of 1880s Turin.
Are there any series you’ve seen recently that you either rated or hated? Comment below!
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