“Neruda” is a cinematic work of art, blending poetry, temperament, and passion, featuring a fantastic cast and beautiful Chilean scenery. It is the perfect antihero movie.
In “Neruda,” we learn that Chilean poet and politician Pablo Neruda wrote his famous “Love Poems” in the same romantic style shown in the Italian Academy Award-winning film “Il Postino.”
We didn’t know that Pablo also expressed his people’s suffering in his “other poetry,” leaving an indelible mark on social justice. His poems served as a patriotic manifesto against the Chilean government, making him Public Enemy Number One.
The complex script of “Neruda” skillfully distinguishes fiction from reality, aiming to spark controversy over Chile’s identity and history.
The film begins suddenly and somewhat awkwardly with a lively discussion about Pablo Neruda’s bourgeois lifestyle and the accusations of treason from members of his own Communist Party in 1948.
While trying to defend himself, actor Luis Gnecco portrays Pablo Neruda’s less-than-charismatic side. He strips away the poet’s image as a saint, hero, or demigod, revealing him as a human being made of flesh and bone.
Even more surprisingly, the audience will encounter a very raw, honest, and sometimes grotesque Pablo Neruda who believes he is above everyone, including himself.
At one point in his life, he had to learn a crucial lesson: humility.
Neruda’s wife is portrayed by Mercedes Morán as an upper-class Argentine woman who cleverly says, “Communists hate to work, but they love to burn down churches, and that makes them feel alive.”
The film’s editing could be improved. Its rough start makes it difficult to identify whether the main character, the investigator, or Pablo Neruda will be the focus.
As the film progresses with the poet’s writings, poems, and lyrics, it becomes stronger as the script sharpens. The talented cast develops their characters meaningfully throughout.
“Chile has no freedom of speech---” was a declaration of war from Pablo to the government. He even went further, calling President Gonzalez Videla a traitor.
The film also touches on the concentration camps in Chile, where members of the Communist Party, students, and opponents were imprisoned.
These were the “Desaparecidos,” the hundreds who disappeared without a trace at the hands of the government. Augusto Pinochet managed one of these camps and later became Chile’s dictator.
“Neruda” features a noir style seen in the chase between the desperate investigator and the sneaky poet.
This biopic of the award-winning Chilean poet takes a similar approach to Michael Mann’s crime drama “Heat.” The difference is that “Neruda” depicts a thinking fugitive who is unaware of any crime, other than fighting for his right to free speech.
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| Pablo Larrain, photo by José Alberto Hermosillo, Festival in LA, ©2016 |
Academy Award-nominated director Pablo Larrain (“No,” “Tony Manero,” “Jackie,” “The Club”) spoke at the AFI FEST presented by Audi 2016 in Los Angeles, saying: “You cannot put Neruda in a box. You cannot describe him as smart, educated, and distinguished because he was someone larger-than-life.”
Larrain added, “It’s complicated to put poetry in cinema. Poets describe our society as it is.”
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| Pablo Larrain, photo by José Alberto Hermosillo, Festival in LA, ©2016 |
Pablo and his brother, producer Juan de Dios Larrain, created a remarkable film.
With “Neruda” and “Jackie,” the Larrain brothers craft magic on screen.
The Chilean official entry for the Academy Awards for best foreign language film takes viewers on a journey through the stunning landscapes of Chile, its ports and cities, and the Andes region of “Mapuche.”
In the last confrontation between Pablo and the investigator, he compares himself to Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo.
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| Pablo Larrain, director, José Alberto Hermosillo, film critic, Festival in LA, ©2016 |
The film’s charm emerges when Pablo writes letters and verses about how deeply each character is affected by his life and by his escape from Chile.
In a final letter, Neruda describes real-life events that are about to happen. These words would have more meaning if those situations were part of one of his novels, including the fate of his loyal wife and the stubborn detective who followed him to the “end of the world,” literally.
The Nobel Prize-winning poet was the one who enamored women and broke their hearts.
Pablo Neruda helped break down the walls of hate and abuse of power in Chile. He continued his fight through his writings from exile in France and Italy, using words that gave hope to the people of Chile during the darkest moments of the country’s history.
