When Seduction is a Dirty Word

On the small Italian island of Ischia 15-year old Elena Greco becomes reacquainted with Donato Sarratore, whose adulterous behavior with an unstable woman led to his family's exit from their Neapolitan town. Sarratore's family, including Elena's classmate Nino, have come to a small cottage to vacation where Elena has found summer employment as a housekeeper. While her infatuation with Nino is rekindled, she newly discovers Donato, who has turned his notorious behavior into a book of poems and writes travel pieces for local papers. Because she herself aspires to be a writer she is both charmed and awed by Donato...until the 5-minute scene below transpires. I commend the bulk of time my readers may give to this blog to viewing the video clip from HBO's recent series, My Brilliant Friend, based on Elena Ferrante's novel. I'm not sure I've ever seen a better dramatic depiction of the dynamic between an innocent young girl and a lecherous older man. Nor do I think we in America approach the subject in all its complexity as well as our more worldly European cousins do. Finally, in this week when Jeffery's Epstein's victims gave personal testimony to the trauma they experienced at his will, an intimate dramatic recreation can help fully take the measure of the outrage.