The Old Man Who Read Love Stories

Watching this movie I tried my best to experience the subtext, only - everything was so spelled out and manipulative, there was nothing for me to do. De Heer obviously doesn't trust an audience when it comes to interpreting characters. Every single one was simply in the film for the sake of highlighting Dreyfuss' character. Nothing more. This is the type of movie where the director's arm leaps out of the screen and clenches your face, telling you where to look, what to feel and how exactly to react. Give us some credit, Rolf!

A leisurely and beautifully filmed movie which concerns an old man (Dreyfus) living in a remote backwater of the Amazon River. Late in life he has learned to read, and he has taken to reading love stories, savouring each word as if it were a morsel of a feast.

The narrative concerns the hunt for a jaguar which has apparently acquired a taste for human flesh. During this adventure we share the old man's reflections, reveries and regrets, fragments of a past life. In the unfolding of the story he is able to make reparation for at least one of his regrets.

The film could be criticised for being slow and uneven at times. I have not read the novel, but I'm sure that it was multi-layered and textured, with underlying themes of missed opportunities, loss of innocence, the environment and the egregious impact of civilisation. The movie only hints at these things and sometimes were are left a little puzzled. But the eloquence is in the mood, which is perfectly captured.

Highly recommended.

Well maybe it can be said that this movie is sometime slow but not so much. The performances are very good , specially Hugo Weaving and Richard Dreyfuss are excellent and the movie have a poetic sense and fine dialog . The art designer is Gil Parrondo, who have won 2 academy awards with "Patton" and "Nicholas and Alexandra".This is an adaptation of a novel , a complex one. The screenplay is beautiful and the movie really flows, it's not contrived . This is not a cliché film or a conventional movie and does not disappoint . I really like this movie and I think it's one of the best Dreyfuss's performances ever, creating a subtle, intelligent , simple and wise old man.

It is worth noting that Luís Sepulveda (the author of the novel upon which the film was based), upon meeting Rolf De Heer, grabbed him by the shoulders and thanked him for having brought the spirit of his novel alive onscreen. The nuanced performances of Hugo Weaving, Timothy Spall, Cathy Tyson and

Victor Bottenbley are as memorable as that of Richard Dreyfus, whose deeply-felt and brilliant portrayal of the old man of the title ('Antonio Bolivar') must be a late- career defining moment. It could so easily have degenerated into yet another bit of macho chest-thumpin' hunt-in-the-jungle fluff. However, the beautifully evocative cinematography and sensitive direction save it from such triteness. Highlights include the Mr De Heer's intimate close-ups of the characters, giving the audience a window into their personal space; and the scenes of Antonio Bolivar reading his beloved books by lamplight as he relishes each painstakingly spelt-out word and ruminates on the meaning of each hard-won sentence before moving on

to the next. It's the picture of a man for whom the mere act of reading is still a joyous miracle to be savoured. A nice little bit of synchronicity: Victor Bottenbley, the Dutch actor who plays Nushino, was indeed born in Surinam, which he left as a small child. When he

arrived in French Guiana to begin the shoot, he discovered that some of the other actors were of the tribe of his mother's people. A wonderful homecoming indeed. This year saw the first two preview screenings in Australia.

A great story told with heart and skill. It took a while to recognize Mr. Dreyfuss. Engaging, evocative . Saw it at a festival where Mr. de Heer shared his copy. Need to see it again - I hope it gets some kind of release. I can still smell the moist jungle atmosphere, the exquisite emotion of the pacing of events. The dentist is a character to remember! Rolf de Heer outdid himself this time. If you loved "Bubby" and " Ten Canoes" , "The Old Man Who Read Loved Sories" is a must-see. The camera is your narrator, and creates a visual feast revealing a tale of passion and perseverance. My strongest memories of the film are visceral. Its physicality,sensuality, spice, hot, wet, fragrant, wet, green, dark, wet - did I say "wet" yet? texture has stayed with me for years.