The Postman

On a small Italian island, Mario, the son of a fisherman, is appointed postman to the exiled poet Pablo Neruda. Carrying the letters, he learns what poetry is and tries to use it to impress a woman in the village. Michael Radford directed, adapting Antonio Skármeta's novel Ardiente paciencia. The story behind it is painful. Massimo Troisi, who starred and co-wrote, had a severe heart condition. He postponed surgery so the film could be finished and could work only about an hour a day. He suffered a fatal heart attack the day after principal photography ended. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 92 percent. It grossed 80.5 million dollars worldwide and became the highest-grossing non-English-language film in the United States at the time. Luis Bacalov won the Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score, and the film was nominated in other categories including Best Picture and Best Director. Troisi was nominated posthumously for Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. At the BAFTAs it won Best Film Not in the English Language, Best Direction and Best Film Music. Who it is for: viewers who like plain, small-scale films built around poetry. Who it is not for: anyone wanting pace. It is almost entirely two men talking and walking by the sea.