As a woman who has navigated her fair share of complex relationships and family dramas, I found myself deeply immersed in Lenù’s turbulent emotional journey in this passage. The way Elena Ferrante portrays Lenù’s obsession with Nino and Lila, coupled with her deep-seated concern for her mother, is a testament to the author’s ability to capture the intricacies of human emotion.
Following the devastating earthquake that left many buildings in Italy’s southern cities unstable, Lenù deliberately distanced herself from her old neighborhood, a move that saddened Lila but was crucial for Lenù to find some stability. However, as concern for her mother’s health grew and she found comfort in their shared pregnancy with Lila, Lenù found herself drawn back into the streets of her childhood. Despite the fragile state of her relationship with Nino on Via Petrarca –– who let her down by leaving her to face the earthquake alone –– she is cautious, hoping that if she handles things delicately enough, their relationship won’t crumble like a Jenga tower with missing pieces.
Instead, Lenù is receiving warmth from various aspects of her life. Sickness has softened Immacolata, causing her to show Lenù tender affection that was not present before. She encourages Lenù to eat more meat, strengthening herself for the upcoming birth. This newfound warmth also extends to her other children; she expresses concern about Peppe and Gianni once again, asking if Lila can assist them. Lenù is truthful about what Lila said, that she’s too busy with Gennaro, but promises to find a different solution for her brothers. A hint of her former strength shows through her current frailty as Immacolata takes on self-blame, projecting the guilt of her sons’ downfall onto Lenù, who never helped them study and always kept her distance. Through the frosted glass of the bathroom door, director Laura Bispuri portrays Lenù and Immacolata like guardian angels and devils standing over each other.
I’ve always found that direct confrontation resonates with Lenù. Stepping out of our apartment, I spot Peppe engaged in a dubious activity, and I can’t just stand by. It feels like we’re back to being kids, but with the wisdom of an elder sibling, I speak to him: “Can you even fathom what you’re doing? Don’t you have any sense of decency?” I try to appeal to his emotions, reminding him of the potential harm he could cause our mother. However, he counters by arguing that if it weren’t for the money he earns from associating with the local crooks, our beloved Immacolata would be gone already.
Lenù’s return to her old neighborhood reveals a complex web of conflicts that she had only dimly perceived before her absence. These intricacies leave her feeling like an outsider, despite her previous assumptions about the dynamics between Alfonso, Lila, and Michele. Upon visiting the Basic Sight office, Lenù is perplexed by the enigmatic romantic undercurrents in their relationship, which seem even more confounding than before.
Previously, it appeared as if Lila resented Lenù for intentionally keeping away from the neighborhood. However, now Lila is expressing a different viewpoint: Lenù should steer clear of their troubles if she intends to consistently return to her high-class residence on Via Petrarca, where the risks are minimal and the issues are theoretical. Nevertheless, Lenù can’t completely disregard the neighborhood’s power struggles if she wishes to assist her brothers escape the Solaras’ influence for her mother’s wellbeing. To alleviate Immacolata’s concerns, Lila suggests Lenù should simply deceive; there is no more potent sedative. When Lenù queries whether Lila lies to her as well, Lila retorts: “Those who refuse to listen are the most oblivious.
Essentially, Lenù’s bond with Nino is showing signs of strain, and while she once could dismiss the issues and bask in the joy of his affection, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to overlook their disagreements now. Not only does Lenù struggle, but Dede and Elsa are also starting to notice the flaws in their arrangement. For instance, Elsa expresses concern about Nino’s absence during bedtime stories by asking, “What if you don’t come?” As their baby draws nearer, Lenù becomes anxious about how Nino, who seems to have neglected numerous children before, will behave once she gives birth. Does he ever think about Mirko, Silvia’s son, who bears a striking resemblance to him? Does he maintain any contact with that boy?
Lenú often has dreams of another earthquake and awakens to labor pains. The first person she calls just before her water breaks is Pietro. In the past, we may have been critical of Pietro due to his lack of help when Lenú had to care for the children all night while he worked in his office; his family’s snobbishness is unjustifiable; and he could have pitched in a bit more by picking up a sock once in a while. However, compared to Nino, Pietro displays the domestic skills of an attentive househusband. He inquires about Lenú’s well-being and promises to acquire items for their daughters the next day. Despite experiencing intense contractions during her journey to the hospital, Lenú moves with surprising calmness. She gathers her baby bag, enlists a neighbor to watch over her sleeping daughters, and drives herself to the hospital. She cries out in pain throughout but manages admirably –– she trusts her own abilities.
After accomplishing so much on her own, it’s almost unexpected when Nino enters the room after she has delivered a lovely little girl. The mere sight of him brings a smile of relief to her delusional heart filled with blind love. Nino showers her with old reassurances –– I can’t live without you, and so on –– and presents her with a delicate necklace. Despite appearing content with his minimal effort, Nino feels uneasy due to Pietro’s kindness over the phone, which he learns about indirectly through Lenù’s responses. For the first time, Nino expresses a desire for the baby to be baptized. Lenù finds amusement in his traditional stance, but it wouldn’t be fair to her other children who weren’t baptized. Instead, they opt to throw a party.
The birth of their child makes it clear how uncertain they are about their relationship: they stumble when trying to clarify details like marital status or address to the registrar. They joke about their casual approach to being a couple, and name their daughter Immacolata Sarratore. Interestingly, upon arriving home with the baby, Lenù learns that Lila plans to visit with Lenù’s mother. Lenù had hoped to keep her life at Via Petrarca separate from her neighborhood life, but those plans quickly fall apart when Immacolata insists on meeting her new granddaughter immediately.
However, it appears that Lenù’s efforts to shield her daughter’s early life from neighborhood influences, believing it would give Imma a smoother, less tumultuous future, are actually rooted in concern that Nino might see Lila being lively while Lenù is still recovering from childbirth. To avoid this predicament, she excessively applies blush, which seems relatable as we’ve all struggled with overdoing makeup at times. I appreciate the show’s subtle methods of making Lenù more endearing through such visual hints.
Upon arrival, Nino wins over the elderly lady by showcasing the stunning landmarks visible from their vantage point while Lenù guides her friend to see the newborn. Lila dotes on baby Imma, sniffing her and playfully suggesting a swap if the child doesn’t turn out as wonderful. When Immacolata realizes that her granddaughter will carry her name, she’s taken aback, becoming emotional. She proposes they call her Imma, a more contemporary name, and tenderly cradles the baby in her fragile arms. Lenù is so touched by the heartwarming bond between her child and mother that she almost forgets about Nino and Lila preparing coffee in the kitchen –– nearly. Upon returning to the living room, Lila stands still, staring at the floor, causing Lenù to snap out of her reverie. A pool of blood is visible beneath her mother’s feet.
Following this, a chaotic series of events unfolds. It seems as though the baby senses trouble has arrived, thus starting to cry. Lila intends to call an ambulance, but Nino suggests they drive instead. The doctor treating Immacolata is acquainted with Nino through Eleonora, which leads Lenù to concur that it’s best for him to go to the hospital, where Immacolata pleads not to be taken. Shockingly, Nino instructs Lila and herself, “Let’s go.” Lila urges Lenù to stay with the baby while she calls from the hospital, but Nino insists that it would be better for Lenù to remain with Immacolata since she will need to feed her. Lila seeks Lenù’s advice in her eyes. Lenù instructs her to go and call from the hospital, and it is only when they depart that Lenù realizes the pain of this situation—Lila and Nino reunited, taking away [her] mother.
For several hours, Lenù finds it challenging to discern truth from illusion. If she could control her mind from fixating on Nino’s potential actions while apart, discovering that he is alone with Lila sets off a whirlwind of thoughts. The series skillfully emphasizes this by making Lenù’s tormented imaginations indistinguishable from the real world, intercutting between her restless, anxious gaze and what could be transpiring at the hospital: are Lila and Nino truly holding hands in the car? Is he casually placing his arms around her shoulder? Does he lean in to whisper in her ear? In an attempt to silence the clamor of her own speculations, Lenù keeps herself occupied: she cleans up the blood, phones her sister Elisa to inform her that their mother is at the hospital (Elisa, now dating Marcello, lashes out unnecessarily at Lenù with hostility), puts her baby to sleep.
When Lila eventually rings with updates, she shares with Lenù that Immacolata has been admitted to the hospital, but no one can be there with her. Lenù is advised to unwind: Immacolata isn’t going to die, at least not imminently. Despite Lenù’s curiosity about Nino and Lila’s actions, she feigns worry over the hospital formalities surrounding her mother. Lila comforts her by stating that she will depart soon and encourages Lenù to rest so her milk doesn’t dry up. This temporary relief is short-lived as Lila later calls again to announce that Marcello is at the hospital causing a scene. He’s demanding to transfer Immacolata into a private facility for more comfort, similar to how Lenù and Elisa chose clinics for their deliveries. However, the care of Immacolata becomes a power struggle between Nino and Marcello, with Lila siding with Nino. The dispute among them intensifies, leaving Lenù largely confused by the heated conversation over the phone: Lila orders Marcello to leave, Marcello threatens violence, Nino pleads for rationality from others. The situation devolves into a chaotic mess of anger, and all Lenù can truly ponder is whether or not Nino and Lila are rekindling their past relationship amidst the chaos. It doesn’t alleviate her concerns when Lenù demands Nino to return home, and he argues that he cannot abandon Lila with “that beast.” At this point, Lenù loses patience and screams at him, reminding him of Lila’s abilities to handle a Solara.
However, upon returning home, Nino remains angry over Marcello’s actions, which in turn makes Lenù question the narrowness of her own fixation on Lila. Indeed, while Lenù fretted, Lila managed to deceive Marcello into believing she had left and secretly stayed with Immacolata throughout the night. In the morning, Lila informed Lenù that she would wait for Marcello and Elisa’s arrival before returning home, exhausted as she was in her late pregnancy. Lenù feels both worried and grateful for Lila but finds her friendship strained by Nino. Upon entering the living room, Nino seeks out Lila to check on her well-being. Lenù abruptly ends the call with Lila before Nino could reach the phone, and with a trace of her former, Dr. Bill Hartford-level jealousy still lingering, she confronts him: “What does Lila have to do with this?
In Più
The soft piano music accentuating the chaos in the hospital settings struck me as ingenious, for it was unsettlingly discordant – a stark contrast highlighting the gulf between Lenù’s uncontrolled imaginings at home and the harsh truth unfolding in the hospital.
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2024-10-08 06:54