Good times and good things often come by accident.

Mario, the son of a fisherman, lives with his father in a village on a small Italian island where there are few jobs and limited fresh water. There is not much to do or even to think about, given that little ever happens on the island. Then one day Mario learns that the famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who has been exiled from his country, has chosen to live on the little island (for who knows what reason). Mario, who has never heard of Neruda and does not read poetry (he does not read much of anything), hears that the postman needs someone with a bicycle to deliver Neruda’s mail. There is no pay, only the possibility of a tip. The chance to make a little money plus curiosity motivates Mario to apply for the position.

What follows is Mario’s gradual awakening to his own potential and his awareness of the poetry around him. In a sense Mario’s encounters with Neruda cause him to have a deeper appreciation of his own life and of the world. He does not become a deep thinker but remains a simple fisherman who comes to see his world in a different way. Neruda becomes like an older brother whose life may not be fully understood but provides a beacon of possibilities and greater things ahead.

El Postino presents an important truth: The ways in which people influence one another is often unpredictable and surprising. By putting ourselves in situations where we can associate with others who are quite different from us, we can become more open to possibilities in life we never considered.

Available from Buena Vista Home Video
Rated PG by M.P.A.A.
Italian with English subtitles.