Burning Patience

Burning Patience is based on the novel of the same name by Chilean writer Antonio Skármeta, published in 1985. The text inspired the Italian film Il Postino (1994) by director Michael Radford, which won over 25 international awards and 5 Oscar nominations – including Best Foreign Film. The current Chilean version of Burning Patience is set in Isla Negra, a town along the central coast of Chile, where Pablo Neruda lived until his final days. Today, Neruda’s home is a museum that showcases the life and work of the Chilean poet.

Burning Patience is the story of Mario, a young fisherman who gets a job as Neruda’s postman when the legendary writer moves into town after being exiled from Chile. Mario’s relationship with the poet envelops him in a world of words that fuels his own desire to become a poet to woo the woman of his dreams.