Director: Pablo Larrain
By Alex Watson
Shunning the typical biopic strategy, Pablo Larrain's picture Neruda is a fascinating look at the persecution of Pablo Neruda. Part fact, part fiction, none of this matters as the story presented is so engrossing it stands up on its own merits. Not concerned with giving a straight depiction, Larrain's movie is still a beautiful piece of work which becomes a wonderful game of hide and seek between two men both obsessed with their own glories.
Pablo Neruda (Luis Gnecco) is a celebrated Chilean poet and Senator who recently has been denounced for accusing Chile of abandoning its communist roots. Faced with a prison sentence, Neruda is forced to go on the run. On his tail is Inspector Oscar Peluchonneau, a man deeply fascinated with his foe and determined to live up to his father's name. Time and again, the pair will avoid crossing paths but both are determined to stay ahead.
There is a degree of creative license with Neruda, Larrain explored this before his prior picture NO which was about a fiction ad man working on the Anti-Pinochet commercials. While it might not be straight up, Larrain's work is still sharp, intelligent and beautifully shot. Both men on display are both egotists in their own right, Neruda might be the people's darling but he is also portrayed as a vainglorious man enraptured with his own reputation. Married with Argentine aristocrat Delia del Carril (Mercedes Moran), Neruda is a branded a public enemy after Chilean President Gabriel Gonzalez Videla declares war on Communism. Forced into hiding, Larrain shows the real struggles that communists faced during this period. Many are forced into concentration camps, one of which is led by a 'Blue Eyed Fox' Captain Augusto Pinochet. Neruda fights for the cause but lives the rich man's life. This irony of this fact is beautiful presented.
Oscar Peluchonneau's presence is one that haunts the film throughout. At first, he appears only in a silky voiceover- but he has clocked Neruda's movements from the beginning. A great fictional creation, Peluchonneau is the conflicted son of a prostitute who is primarily concerned with living up to the name of his Police Chief father. Peluchonneau both resents and admires Neruda but is determined to see his name tarnished to preserve his own. His competence on the job might vary, at one point he seemingly seduces the man's ex-wife into denouncing him, only for it to blow up in his face. Larrain keeps his reliability as a narrator ambiguous but the chase between the two is a playful yet nerve-wracking one. A climatic chase through these Andes mountains turns this slow-burning political thriller into something else entirely.
The main problem that befouls the detective is the public adoration for their poet. Pablo Neruda is shown at being magnificent with words and a great orator. One emotional scene sees Peluchonneau questioning a transvestite who passionately describes what he means to his people. As a man, Neruda might be less of a hero and Larrain wonderfully hints at his losing touch with his ideals. His relationship with Mercedes is a devoted one but seemingly free of affection. Peluchonneau is the very nemesis that Neruda would have proudly written, which is why he able to dog him at every turn. His personal life and tastes might lose him some sympathy, but his ingenuity and smarts are what make us love Neruda as a character. When things are on the line, he finds new and clever ways to stay alive. Larrain keeps a fine line between detective film and thriller and the film feels richer for it.
Luis Gnecco is excellent as the fabled Neruda, a man who very much enjoys his notorious status. Living the life of a successful writer, people hang on his every written word. Gnecco is also solid during the film's latter half when Neruda is forced to uses his wits to avoid capture. However, this picture belongs to Gael Garcia Bernal whose smartly constructed turn shines brightly. Previously collaborating with Larrain in NO, Bernal brilliantly portrays the internal strife this fictional creation feels. A detective who also admires detective fiction, Peluchonneau is an investigator whose very existence hinges on Neruda. A charismatic yet humane performance, Bernal proves his one of the strongest performances in South American cinema.
Neruda might not adhere to the typical biopic restraints, but it is nonetheless a wonderful piece of work about a man and his words.
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