Burning Patience

When Michael Radford's Il postino (1994) became a surprise world-wide hit, nobody seemed to remember that the story of Pablo Neruda and his postman had already been filmed merely a decade earlier. Nobody, other than Antonio Skármeta, Ardiente paciencia had been his fiction feature debut which he had then adapted into a novel. Ardiente paciencia has  a simpler, rougher look than Radford's polished and glitzy take on the story; also, it features no major stars, just actors who are perfect for their part. But maybe most importantly: Skármeta's story is set in '60s and '70s Chile while Radford moved it to Italy and back into the '50s. Obviously, this changes a lot: here, the nation's problems under Frei Montalva are a central part of the narrative, as important as postman Mario's love story. Now that the hype around Il postino is dust in the winds of film history, it feels like a high time to return to the source and to finally fully embrace this gem. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)