Film Buff Ranking: 3 
Neruda is a rather special take on the famous Chilean poets life. Instead of focusing on his fabulous poetry, Neruda focuses on his Pablo’s run from persecution for being a communist. Throughout, Neruda is being hunted by a police inspector named Peluchonneau. In all, the film reminded me of a Borgesian short story with a hilariously Quixotic character.
Why watch Neruda?
- You have read and enjoyed Borges
- Multiple narratives – try and follow this one! Is it real?
- Chilean history -communist persecution (for more on communist persecution, see a real account of the Indonesian death squads here)
- For an interesting take on the biopic (think of Frida)
The Breakdown
The film starts with cameras following Neruda through a crowd. He makes his way through a government building greeting people next to him. He finally makes it through to a room where the president and the other senators are (for Neruda is also a senator), goes straight over to the urinal conveniently placed at the side of the room and berates the president out loud whilst he is taking a piss. What a scene! It certainly sets it up for a rather surreal and jovial film.
Neruda is a masterful invention. The character of Peluchonneau, played by the wonderful Gabriel Garcia Bernal, a character invented to embellish Neruda’s reputation. He is Neruda’s (or the director’s Larrain’s) puppet, a tool to show Neruda’s creative vision. Even the name Peluchonneau is perfect, as “peluche” in Spanish refers to a stuffed animal toy. This is exactly what Peluchonneau is, a character that is invented, used to entertain us, and then forgotten when we grow older. Luckily for the film and for us, the director and screenwriters script him perfectly.
Just like in Y Tu Mama Tambien, the events at the front of the screen take centre stage. You can see the effects of the communist persecution in the background. People are being dragged off to concentration camps, homeless kids are wandering the streets begging for money, and indigenous populations are being subjected to landlords. Furthermore these landlords deliberately break the law, just because the government does not care about them anyway. This is the real post-WW2 Chile, not the Chile concerned with a fictional or non-fictional chase of Neruda that pre-occupied everything else.
Conclusion
Neruda is definitely worth a watch. Fans of literature will love the construction of Pelloneau and his fictional existence. It is a little bit of a fight club in this regard. Pelloneau could not exist without Neruda and Neruda’s excellence is heightened by Pelloneau. As a Latin America Literature lover, this truly captured the unique spirit of the continent.
Is Moonlight a future Oscar winner? It is everything an Oscar winner should be: beautifully shot, emotional, powerful. Furthermore it is also what the Oscars have lacked: a great non-biographical black film. This film reminded me of the early chapters of Ta-Nehisi Coate’s Between the World and Me or Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City because it shows the influence of environment on people. We are not always what we portray on the outside.
Princess Mononoke is a classic. It is Miyazaki’s return to the more political realms of Nausicaa and Laputa – films which promote awareness of global issues such as discrimination, global warming, and war. Plus, the animation is beautifully created and the storyline is an adventure epic. For more, follow 
Spirited Away is Miyazaki’s most celebrated work, and rightly so. The film follows a young girl who gets lost in a spirit world which she has to navigate to save her parents. I am in awe of how Miyazaki dreamed up everything in this film, it is the one of the most magical films you could watch.
Oh yes! Pom Poko! This entry from Isao Takahata is framed as a sort of documentary. It follows some shape-shifting raccoons who rise up against the growing industrialisation/expansion of Tokyo to protect their habitat. One of the comedic highlights is seeing these raccoons parachute using their scrotum (don’t worry it’s completely PG). Pom Poko promotes awareness of industrialisation with this hilarious comedy.
Yes, Studio Ghibli rounds out my top 5. Howl’s Moving Castle is one of Miyazaki’s most recent films and one of his most imaginative. Moving castles, talking fire, and a jumping scarecrow are three things you’ll find in this movie. Another brilliant example of Miyazaki’s celebrated career, this one also serves as an allegory for war.
Isao Takahata’s animation of the bombing of Japan during World War Two is heart wrenching. There are some pretty sad moments in a number of Pixar films, but nothing on this level. This will hit you on another emotional level. In addition, learn about life in Japan during World War Two and how terrible war is!
You thought Inception was original? Well you obviously didn’t see Paprika when it came out in 2006. Paprika is set in a future where patients can use devices to start lucidly dreaming. The problem is that some people are hacking into other people’s dreams. Not great if these skills fall in the wrong hands…
This is the perfect film to watch for the little ones. My Neighbour Totoro is very peaceful and calm – there are no chases or conflict like some of the other Miyazaki films. However, in true Miyazaki fashion there is his trademark fantasy. And of course, there is Totoro! (a great addition to all the Disney merchandise).
Set in a dystopian future where society is crumbling, Akira is the anime equivalent of The Matrix. Pay attention to the superbly animated setting of ‘Neo-Tokyo,’ a city which resembles a mix of Bladerunner’s Los Angeles and Tron. 
Rounding out the top 10 is another entry from Isao Takahata. The star of this film is the hilarious skits of a family living in Tokyo. The snippets reminded me of things my family would do. The bare-bones animation adds to the simplicity of the film. It’s an ode to the regular family.
Shot beautifully as always with Alfonso Cuaron, this film follows two young privileged students on a road trip. They travel across Mexico unaware of the ‘real’ Mexico they pass by.
One of my personal favourites, El Infierno is a dark comedy about Mexico during the Mexican Drug War. It follows Benny, recently deported from the U.S. who finds his home-town empty and without any jobs. As a result, he pretty much stumbles into drug trafficking. This one points a comic finger at politicians, drug trafficking, and organized corruption.
Directed by the guy behind the True Detective (Cary Fukunaga), Sin Nombre is an action-adventure film that spans Central America. It is an introduction to both the vicious Mara Salvatrucha gang and ‘La Bestia’ the train network that many Central Americans use to try and reach the U.S. It is gripping right until the final minutes and is complemented by some beautiful scenery.
This Spanish/Mexican film is Guillermo del Toro’s most famous and best. It’s fantasy matches the imagination of the Studio Ghibli animated classics. Set in Civil War Spain, this film is filmed along the boundary between reality and mythical. It received a 22 minute standing ovation after it’s screening at Cannes, and would be placed higher on this list if it’s honours were not shared with Spain.
Heli is brutal. It is a shocking examination of the effect of the Mexican drug war on a small town in northern Mexico. Director Amat Escalante won the Best Director award at Cannes for this one – a testament to it’s barren landscapes and bare editing. One word of warning before you watch this one though – it isn’t happy or light-hearted in any way.
Another debut feature from one of Mexico’s most well known directors. Cronos is Guillermo del Toro’s Vampire horror flick that is characterised by his imagination. Eternal life, Ron Perlman, and a cute relationship between a granddaughter and grandfather that make this film great.
Another brutal drug war flick, Miss Bala follows the life of a beauty paegeant queen who gets trapped within the wrath of a drug cartel. Gang leader Lino will haunt you for a while after this one – he is crafty and elusive. The film is gripping, and horribly fatalistic, just like Heli.
At last, a cheesy comedy to lift your spirits. Instructions Not Included follow the feel-good story of a Mexican playboy who travels to the United States to return his American daughter to her mother. The film will have you laughing and crying for a very entertaining 2 hours.
A Mexican-U.S. film about American Labour Leader, Cesar Chavez sees Michael Pena in his best role. The biographical film follows Chavez from his move to Delano, California though many of the non-violent campaigns he led. Alongside McFarland, Cesar Chavez is a timely portrait of migrant families in the San Joaquin Valley.
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