{"id":6738,"date":"2016-05-14T23:19:11","date_gmt":"2016-05-14T22:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/?p=6738"},"modified":"2017-07-16T22:12:37","modified_gmt":"2017-07-16T21:12:37","slug":"neruda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2016\/05\/14\/neruda\/","title":{"rendered":"Neruda"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Neruda\"<\/a>
Neruda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\nSeen at Cannes International Film Festival 2016<\/a>

\nFormat:<\/B> Cinema

\nRelease date:<\/B> 7 April 2017

\nDVD\/BR\/VOD release date:<\/B> 10 July 2017

\nDistributor:<\/B> Network Releasing

\nDirector:<\/B> Pablo Larraín

\nWriter:<\/B> Guillermo Calder\u00f3n

\nCast:<\/B> Gael García Bernal, Luis Gnecco

\nChile, Argentina, France, Spain 2016

\n107 mins\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s the constant self-interrogation of the imaginary inspector that elevates Neruda<\/i> above the vast majority of playful biopics.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

After Paterson<\/i><\/a>, Pablo Larraín\u2019s new film was the second to screen in Cannes named after a poet, yet the difference between the two films could not be greater: Neruda<\/i> is an action-driven piece of historical fiction, infused with a detective story. It recounts, with a great deal of imagination, Pablo Neruda\u2019s escape from Chile into exile after the country\u2019s criminalisation of the communist party in 1948. The result is a poetic introduction to Neruda\u2019s life wrapped in a game of cat and mouse.<\/p>\n

Larrain\u2019s regular collaborator Gael García Bernal stars as Inspector Peluchonneau, the man charged with the unthankful task of putting the visionary 1971 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature behind bars. And much of the joy of the film comes from the fact that the poet only ever stays two steps ahead of Peluchonneau, because he wants to feel his persecutor close on his tail. Luis Gnecco\u2019s Neruda is alternately grandiose and short-tempered, willing to constantly recite his most famous poem, but equally prone to vanity. <\/p>\n

Yet, it\u2019s the constant self-interrogation of the imaginary inspector that elevates Neruda<\/i> above the vast majority of playful biopics. The film\u2019s subtle power lies in the deliberate, contrary notion of Peluchonneau\u2019s film noir presence and the detective\u2019s increasingly conscious voice-over, as he slowly but surely realises his own importance in creating Neruda\u2019s legend.<\/p>\n

Why Neruda<\/i> screened only in the Directors’ Fortnight section rather than the official competition remains a mystery, just like the man himself.<\/p>\n

Pamela Jahn<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n

This review is part of our Cannes 2016 coverage<\/a>.<\/div>\n

Watch the trailer:<\/b><\/p>\n