Il Postino, the naive postman

I have to admit I wasn't in the best mood on the way to watch the movie. Saying that upfront makes me feel a little better... I did take notes during the entire thing and unfortunately time after time my overall theme of this review was more and more critical. Let's just say it wasn't my favorite.

The theme that stuck out the most to me was the use of words and language and the symbolism. The opening scene shows a man holding a worn-down postcard. Seeing this image made me nostalgic because I think mail is so great. There are so many aspects to sending and receiving written word that are so valuable and unfortunately, it is a dying trend.

There is a lot of symbolism about the main character, Mario being a postman and using a bike. The combination of transportation and delivery of mail and how that used to be the only way to share words and ideas is again reminiscent of older times.

Pablo comments on the way Don Pablo calls his significant other "amor" and how because of this you can tell he is a poet. As the story develops, I like how Mario learns that being a poet or working with words doesn't necessarily mean you speak a certain way or have to be sophisticated as he imagines and he eventually finds a little poetry talent in himself.

I think the underlying theme of communism throughout the movie is slightly funny because communism stifles individuality but they continually reference it as a love for all people. Also, in a communistic society, the government stifles and controls what the public sees. It goes to show that ideologies can stem from a good idea, but as proven communism is a failed system.

Throughout the movie a politician is seen vying for peoples' votes. In contrast to the poet, it is interesting the use of rhetoric. The politician can be seen as more convincing, and maybe with a purpose more palpable while the poet is using words to convey messages or feelings and his intent is maybe never known in a straightforward manner to most people.

I really liked the poet Pablo's reference to how poetry explained is banal. I think that with most great works, it should invoke feeling and ideas, but dissecting a piece doesn't convey those same feelings.

Don Pablo also references that writing should have rhythm. The world around a writer can influence them to convey their environment through what they write. I thought that was a good tip for any writer at any level. There is so much inspiration everywhere and it is great to unearth it. The idea that the whole world is a metaphor for something else also struck me and I think a lot can be taken from that.

Many of the scenes throughout the movie are reminiscent of ages where communication was personal and relevant. As wonderful as it is to use language and rhetoric, there is an influx of meaningless words. Texting, chatting, and many other types of mediums can be quite detrimental to a progression of knowledge and sharing information.

Lastly, at the end of the movie it is revealed that Mario never met his son because he died at a communist demonstration days before his son was born. The scene of him in the crowd shows papers flying everywhere in the midst of police brutality and chaos and I thought the symbolism of the trampled word was quite a good visual.

I feel like his wonderment with words and poetry had reached the most selfish level it could for him to care more about an idea than his family. I think that as much as he learned from Pablo, he should have been responsible about how he went about fulfilling his dreams. I think that words, whether speeches, poems, books, articles, etc., should be acknowledged as having great power, and with this power there should be responsibility.