Released 1994
Stars Philippe Noiret, Massimo Troisi, Maria Grazia Cucinotta
Directed by Michael Radford

Mario lives on a quiet island where little changes and new ideas arrive slowly, if at all. Then one day the postmaster enlists him to bicycle out to the house of a new arrival. Pablo Neruda, the famous poet, has been exiled from his native Chile for political reasons, and has come here to live. Mario grows fascinated by Neruda, who seems to receive letters mostly from women. He discusses the poet with the village postmaster, a communist who supports Neruda for his political ideas. Neither one of them has much insight into poetry, but Mario agrees to take the job of postman so that he can visit Neruda daily, and maybe find out how to pick up girls.

Their relationship grows slowly. Neruda is a quiet man who lives with a woman, perhaps his wife. Mario sees enough to realize they are deeply in love. Slowly, using every possible conversational opening, the postman forges a friendship.

Summary by Roger Ebert