Most people are familiar with Pablo Neruda’s poetry — particularly, his love poems. But those works only encompass the first half of his career. The latter half of Neruda’s career was far less romantic. He became a Senator in 1945 and began work on his epic poem Canto General, a wide-ranging piece on the history of the Latin American continent shortly thereafter. NERUDA is about this less-known part of the poet’s life, making art out of politics.
At the beginning of the film, we see Neruda denounce Chilean President Gabriel González Videla in favor of Communism and Marxism. Consequently, he becomes a wanted man. He is forced to go into hiding. The movie then mixes reality with art, as (fictional) police inspector Óscar Peluchonneau follows Neruda for the 13 months he spends in hiding.
Neruda is both frustrated by his characterization as a “traitor” and delighted by the attention. Peluchonneau becomes his plaything. Neruda leaves him detective novels to read, spurring him to become a more worthy adversary. Neruda seems to crave companionship and understanding, even if it’s from a bumbling police officer playing a cat and mouse game.
In the film, Neruda is a bundle of contradictions. He is egotistical and heartless. He also has deep convictions, refusing to sacrifice his politics for safety.
Director Pablo Larraín calls NERUDA “the anti-bio.” Larraín told The New York Times, “I can tell you right now that I have no idea who [Neruda] was because he’s ungrabbable, impossible to put in a box. You can make 100 movies and you would never be able to do that. So, once you understand that, it gives you a lot of freedom, and that’s why we say that this is a Nerudian movie because for us — in my country and in our language — Neruda was a man who created a cosmos that is so complex and deep.”
— Diana Martinez, Film Streams Education Director
