Il Postino (The Postman)
(Miramax, 1994, 108 Minutes)
Review by Tod Sloan, University of Tulsa
Film Relevance and Connection to the Text
This is a touching film about the development of a friendship between a simple Italian villager and the world-famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. It portrays the difficulties of communication across cultures, in this case, between the culture of near-illiteracy and the culture of high literature. The film can be linked to Chapters 6 (Persuasion), 8 (Liking and Loving), and 12 (Gender).
Summary/Synopsis
Mario, an unemployed villager in a small Italian town, hears that Pablo Neruda is staying in town while in exile from Chile and that he is an expert in the art of love. Mario gets a job as a postman to deliver Neruda's mail and thereby get a chance to get tips on how to court a woman. Mario meets the sultry Beatrice and enlists Neruda in his efforts to woo her. Most of the film revolves around Mario's attempts to understand poetic language and the dynamics of love as they are explained to him by Neruda.
Discussion Questions
- How does status enter into the relation between Mario and Neruda? What examples from the film point to the importance of status?
- Are any social psychological principles governing interpersonal attraction demonstrated by the relationship between Mario and Beatrice?
- How do Mario's self-esteem and identity issues enter into the events of the film?
- Which of the factors that determine the development of friendships are operating between Mario and Neruda?
- Much of the film conveys the importance of symbols and expressive language in communication between humans. Why does social psychology tend to ignore these aspects of life, leaving them for the humanities or anthropology to study?
Student Assignment Suggestions
- Think of an example of an unlikely friendship that you have and explain why it works using concepts from the text.
- Write an essay explaining why friendships are important to us. What do they accomplish that romantic relationships cannot do?
- Keep a journal on the development of a new relationship. Note each significant step and examine how this affects your view of your self.
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