The Old Man Who Read Love Stories

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.