Neruda
A poetic cat-and-mouse drama turns the pursuit of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda into a meditation on political myth, authorship, and identity.
Overview
A Nobel laureate becomes a fugitive in a politically charged landscape.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- enigmatic
- melancholic
- arthouse film night
- political cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's inventive, stylish fusion of political biography and fictionalized detective pursuit, along with its performances and direction.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Oscar Peluchoneau hunts Neruda while the film makes his perspective central to the construction of the poet's legend.
Neruda's fugitive life, poetry, Communist affiliation, and public persona become inseparable under state pursuit.
Pablo Larraín combines period detail with heightened compositions, narration, and imaginative episodes during Neruda's escape.
Neruda's persecution after joining the Communist Party forces his literary identity into direct conflict with state power.
Films like Neruda, and why
The Death of Stalin
stylized political biography, charismatic literary figure, and tension between historical fact and imaginative narration
I'm Not There
inventive biographical drama centered on a politically charged artist and an unreliable pursuit structure
No
Latin American political history rendered through psychologically charged, formally adventurous filmmaking
The Motorcycle Diaries
literary subject, authoritarian political context, and an elliptical blend of fact and fiction
Movie Details
- Director
- Pablo Larraín
- Release Date
- 2016-08-11
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (283)
Cast
- Gael García Bernal
- Luis Gnecco
- Mercedes Morán
- Emilio Gutiérrez Caba
- Diego Muñoz
- Alejandro Goic
- Pablo Derqui
- Marcelo Alonso
- Michael Silva
- Francisco Reyes
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Neruda about?
- A poetic cat-and-mouse drama turns the pursuit of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda into a meditation on political myth, authorship, and identity.
- What is Neruda like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Neruda as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Neruda violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Neruda as mild.
- What did critics think of Neruda?
- Critics broadly praised the film's inventive, stylish fusion of political biography and fictionalized detective pursuit, along with its performances and direction.
- Which films are like Neruda?
- Films with a similar feel include The Death of Stalin, I'm Not There, No, and The Motorcycle Diaries.
- How long is Neruda?
- Neruda runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch Neruda?
- In United States, Neruda streams on Amazon Prime Video, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
