Photo: Eduardo Castaldo/HBO
The earthquake that struck Southern Italy on November 23, 1980, was so severe — a 6.9 on the Richter scale — it resulted in more than 2,700 casualties. The damage to one town, Conza della Campania, was so intense it uncovered the remains of an ancient Roman city. Lenù and Lila endure the tremor together, without their kids or “husbands” for once. For Lila, in particular, the earthquake is shattering both physically and spiritually: It breaks something open in her. It’s a striking metaphor and a pivotal moment in the relationship of the two women, whose reliance on each other deepens in the absence of their families.
Lila, so often implacable and invulnerable, is scared and uncertain. It’s…
