Netflix Revives a 125-Year-Old Feminist Story—and It Feels Shockingly Modern
The six-episode series adds a modern soundtrack, frank sexual content and broader perspectives on sexism, racism and queer life.
- Netflix released its new series adaptation of novelist Miles Franklin's 1901 novel "My Brilliant Career," now streaming. Adapted by Liz Doran, the drama reinterprets the story for a 21st-century audience with a modern look at 20th-century Australia.
- The story centers on Sybylla Melvyn, an aspiring writer from Possum Gully who moves to her grandmother's estate, Caddagat. There, Sybylla clashes with family expectations regarding marriage and refinement while determinedly pursuing her own path.
- Distinguishing itself from predecessors, the show explores societal issues through a contemporary lens, particularly the female and Indigenous gaze. It portrays the struggles of marginalized groups alongside Sybylla's own journey for independence.
- Director Liz Doran, with co-directors Alyssa McClelland and Anne Renton, gives the tale a contemporary sound and perspective. Philippa Northeast delivers an "outstanding performance" as Sybylla, grounding the series in the protagonist's point of view.
- The narrative emphasizes resilience, illustrating the boldness required for women and marginalized groups to embrace life on their own terms. It portrays the sacrifices made to chase dreams as "far more challenging than others could ever fathom.
14 Articles
14 Articles
In the Netflix adaptation of the Australian novel classic, a young woman resists getting married.
Romantic supply: Sybylla wants to become a writer, but Harry of all people is shaking up their plans.
Netflix’s ‘My Brilliant Career’ Is a Spunky Reimagining of the Australian Period Drama: TV Review
Based on the feminist writer Miles Franklin’s 1901 novel of the same name — and having been previously adapted in Gillian Armstrong’s acclaimed 1979 film starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill — Netflix’s “My Brilliant Career” has a lot to live up to. The Australian period drama, adapted into a series by Liz Doran, is […]
My Brilliant Career has cured my period drama-hating past by being the best TV show I've seen on Netflix this year — but don't expect it to be a Bridgerton bonkbuster
In the mid 2000s, I was fascinated with the reality TV show Aussie Ladette to Lady. It branded a "new breed" of Australian woman as loud, vulgar, and unfit for any self-respecting society, thrusting them into weeks-long sophistication training that, of course, never lasted. In a nutshell, this is also the premise for the new Netflix series My Brilliant Career. In hindsight, the former TV show was nothing but an excuse to vilify a new kind of 'mo…
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