Il Postino

Kraak! Have you ever felt a story that tastes like sea, wind, and words carried in the air? Il Postino is a film from 1994, directed by Michael Radford and Massimo Troisi, and it is Troisi’s final performance, as he passed away just hours after filming ended.

Criii! The film is inspired by the novel “Ardiente paciencia” by Antonio Skármeta. It takes us to an island in southern Italy, in 1948, where the Chilean poet in exile Pablo Neruda lives with his partner Matilde.

Here we meet Mario, the son of a fisherman but without love for the sea. When he is offered a job as a postman — delivering mail — he gladly accepts, as he must bring letters to Neruda.

Squa-squa! And from there, something special begins: Mario starts reading the “Canto general” and asks the poet about his ars poetica, meaning his way of writing and thinking about poetry. Slowly, a friendship grows.

Kraak! For his birthday, Neruda receives a recorded message from Chile and records a greeting for his friends. Mario, meanwhile, speaks of Beatrice Russo, a young barmaid he falls in love with.

Criii! Thanks to metaphors — poetic images used to express feelings — Mario manages to win her heart. Neruda even accompanies him to the tavern and dedicates a poem to him in public.

Despite her aunt’s objections, Beatrice chooses Mario, and they marry, with Neruda as witness, even if the local priest has doubts.

Squa-squa! Then comes the departure: the exile ends, and the poet returns home. After five years, Mario follows his story from afar through newsreels and radio.

Meanwhile, work begins on the island’s aqueduct, meaning the system that brings water, thanks to the politician Di Cosimo. Mario, expecting a child, records the sounds of the island for Neruda: the sea, the wind, and even the heartbeat of his unborn son.

Kraak! But after the victory of the Christian Democracy, the works stop, and Mario becomes more involved in the communist party.

Criii! Five more years pass, and Neruda returns to the island. In the tavern, he meets Pablito, Mario’s son… but Mario never got to see him: he died in Rome during a rally, where he was supposed to read a poem in honor of his friend.

Squa-squa! It’s a story that stays with you, like the sound of the sea in your ears after a windy day. Not just a film… but a journey through words, love, and memory.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Year: 1994

Director: Michael Radford, Massimo Troisi

Cast: Philippe Noiret, Massimo Troisi, Maria Grazia Cucinotta