SPOTLIGHT: GAEL GARCIA BERNAL. Beloved poet and respected senator, Pablo Neruda is also the most famous communist in all of post-WWII Chile. When the political tides suddenly shift, he goes underground with his Argentine artist wife Delia (Mercedes Morán), shepherded from one hideout to the next by a small group of “fellow travelers." Not so fast on his trail is police inspector Oscar Peluchonneau (Gael García Bernal, playing marvelously against type), tasked by the President to “harm and humiliate” Neruda while battling his own personal demons and a habit of Clouseau-esque bad timing. But Neruda’s populist loyalties run deep throughout Chile, and discrediting him proves to be as hard as capturing him. Narcissistically narrated by the perseverant Peluchonneau, director Pablo Larrain’s (The Club, MVFF 2015) self-proclaimed “anti-bio” plays more like a le Carré spy thriller with sly comic undertones. Part fact and many parts fiction, it is a brilliant blend of politics, poetry, history, and hedonism.
Our Spotlight program will feature an onstage conversation with Gael García Bernal, a screening of Neruda, and the presentation of the MVFF Award in recognition of his transformational performance. Join us after the program for a celebratory reception at Le Comptoir in San Rafael.