Everybody lies. And hiding behind their fibs is the source of all their troubles in this story. It starts at the very beginning when lazy student Julio puts his hand up in class when the Professor asks who had read Proust. He does at least try to make up for that one by dashing off to the library and snaffling a copy of the novel and takes it to the beach with every good intention. When he later wakes up in the sand he soon realizes how long he has been asleep as where the book rested on his bare chest there is now a big tan outline. It’s a conversation piece later that night at a Party when he first meets and falls for fellow student Emilia and she invites him to strip off for some carnal pleasure.
We know that this love affair is doomed as the ominous narrator makes a point of telling us that in the end Emilia will die, but Julio will be alive and alone. But I’m still not sure of the consequences of having this pre-spoiler warning at this time
This Chilean movie from filmmaker Cristian Jimenez is based on a best selling novella of the same name. It is steeped in literature and literary references. As the two lovers move in together they make it a practice to read out loud from a classic novel every night before the fall asleep (and right after sex).
The story slowly unfolds with flash-forwards and flashback sequences. And in the future Julio is now an unpublished writer who works in a library and lives alone in Santiago and is having a relationship with Bianca his intellectual next-door neighbor. To impress her (and himself?) Julio lies to her that he is collaborating with Gazmuri a successful author and is who he is helping with his new novel. The truth is that Julio had offered to transcribe for him but his asking fee proves too rich. So he proceeds to write his own version of what he thinks Gazmuri's novel should be, even putting the author's name on the cover page and titling it "Bonsai."
The story that Julio writes is his own and Emila’s, or the way that he would like it to have been, which we can see from the flashbacks. Each night as he reads the pages to Bianca she crits the work which she believes are Gazmuri’s. Or does she?
Both women get bored with Julio but we are never sure why. It cannot be because of the lying, because they also adapt what they say to suit themselves. Bianca gives us the nearest hint of an explanation when she describes the hero in the novel by declaring ‘deep down he’s a poor guy with a broken heart’. Quite.
Young love is never easy. And it’s certainly not so easy to understand in this story. That said there is something quite beguiling about this gentle film that has the awkward charm of first love. And the obvious chemistry between the lead actors made this very watchable indeed
So the truth is if you have 20 odd years to spare and are enchanted by the idea of reading the entire seven volumes of Proust a page at a time out loud with your loved one (or whoever you share your bed with) before you nod off, then you’ll love this wee movie. However, don't forget to have sex first, if you have young Julio’s stamina that is.
P.S.The movie was selected to play in Cannes 'A Certain Regard' and has been playing the Festival circuit since and was expected to be released in the UK at least in March. It opens in the US this month, and at the Miami Beach Cinematheque on May 18th
★★★★★★★
