My Brilliant Career review: it’s not Gillian Armstrong but so what, it’s fantastic fun

How do you adapt a much-loved classic? As time goes by, the spirit can become detached from the text, as what was once shocking or rebellious becomes matter-of-fact. Views grow outdated or offensive, background details take on new meanings, the overall message fades. Netflix’s take on My Brilliant Career isn’t always Miles Franklin’s 1901 novel, and rarely recalls Gillian Armstrong’s classic 1979 movie, but the story’s timeless heart is beating firmly in every scene.

It’s 1900 in rural Australia, and Sybylla Melvyn (Philippa Northeast) is not happy with the options open to a young woman. She wants to make a living in the arts – specifically as a writer – while those around her are determined (for one reason or another) to have her safely married off.

She sees it as her mission to change their minds, which explains her dropping hardcore sex rhymes (well, more like somewhat fruity poetry) at a fancy gathering. It’s clear she’s getting off on being shocking – and in case the message hasn’t sunk in, she then runs off into the night, tearing at her formal dress as she goes.

A life at the crossroads

So she’d rather ‘create than procreate’. Standing in the way of her goal is the extremely formidable figure of her grandmother (Anna Chancellor). Sybylla has been summoned to stay with her as part of her entry to high society – something there seems little of in the family home in Possum Gully. And with granny being both cashed-up and possessed of a huge library, Sybylla’s initial reservations gradually shift to wary acceptance. ‘I do need some new stories,’ she says.

Soon she’s bumping into her granny’s farm boss Frank (Jake Dunn) – fresh out from England, don’t you know – and being introduced to wealthy neighbour Harry (Christopher Chung), which makes the threat to her literary career a little clearer. How can she keep her eye on the (literary) prize with so much eye candy constantly coming into view?

Supporting her on her career path is Harry’s offbeat, proto-feminist aunt Augusta (Kate Mulvany) – she’s the one cheering Sybylla on during her raunchy poetry slam – while back at her granny’s estate Sybylla meets up with Indigenous horse trainer Nell (Sherry-Lee Watson), who has her own dreams of seeing the wider world.

From Possum Gully to Bridgerton and beyond

This series’ influences might be international – Bridgerton is the obvious one, the more low-profile and more literary Dickinson another – but the setting is unashamedly Australian. The landscape is authentically dry and sparse (apart from the occasional clump of horse manure), with Possum Gully dotted with dead trees and the fancier Beecham Estate fairing little better.

Somewhat less authentic but definitely more lively is the soundtrack, which powers out a string of hits of a far more recent vintage – Rod Stewart’s Young Turks and Blondie’s Atomic to name two. Contemporary music in a historical series is a trick that can be blunted by familiarity, but this series makes it work.

At the centre of everything is Sybylla, and Northeast’s performance is a powerhouse. She’s a firebrand (‘headstrong’ is her description of choice), a spinning ball of teen energy that’s completely convincing and thoroughly authentic. Well, maybe some of the sharper edges would have been sanded off in the society of 1900, but this is going for emotional truths rather than literal ones and Northeast is so much fun in the role that any historical quibbles are quickly discarded.

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Running headfirst into love

While she might be a force to be reckoned with, as life-changing forces go love isn’t exactly a lightweight. Frank initially seems a bit of a stick in the mud but there’s more going on with him than meets the eye. A marriage of convenience wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but Sybylla is determined not to sell herself short.

As for Henry, he’s a much more obviously suitable partner, and not just because he’s the richest man in the region. His half-Chinese ancestry makes his position a little uneasy among the locals, but Sybylla can see beyond that to a more essential truth: the man is hot. And smart, and decent, and thoughtful. But also hot.

Across the six episodes of My Brilliant Career, Sybylla goes through a lot, and there are plenty of setbacks and obstacles thrown in her path. Society isn’t ready for her, and she’s not ready for all the challenges ahead – but one of the advantages of being a writer is that even when things look grim (or you’re stuck looking after a bunch of kids), it’s all just more raw material.

This deftly avoids most of the perils that come with trying to spice up a classic. Even the way everyone below a certain age here seems surprisingly modern in their worldview works; they’re all pitted against society in one way or another, and rebels are usually more forward-thinking than most.

But this rises and falls with Northeast’s performance, and she brings more than enough charm and energy to the defiant teen to make this a thrilling ride. Firmly its own creature while still recognisably linked to previous incarnations, this version of My Brilliant Career shines brilliantly.

All episodes of My Brilliant Career are available on Netflix from 13 August.

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