Neruda (2014) User Reviews

Not as well known internationally as Pablo Larraín's film, but definitely worth watching

[arkenseal · 9/10 · 10 July 2023]

This biopic, which came out a couple of years before Larraín's more fanciful depiction, isn't as consciously symbolic and doesn't attempt as much foreshadowing of Pinochet's regime. It shows some things that are omitted from the later film, like childhood events that he described in his memoirs -- sometimes haunting and surreal. There is a lot more of the beautiful landscapes of southern Chile, a part of the world that isn't as well-known as it deserves to be. Definitely worth a look if you are interested in the poet's life and times, and want to see more of his amazing country. The quote at the end of the film is an excerpt from his Nobel Prize acceptance speech.