Netflix confirmed the start of filming Ardiente Paciencia, the first film made in Chile to be produced by the giant streaming. The story is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by writer Antonio Skármeta in which he tells the life of Mario Jiménez, a 17-year-old boy who does not want to follow the family legacy and become a fisherman, so get a job as a postman. The young man is sent to Isla Negra to work under the mandate of a single client: the poet Pablo Neruda.
The screenwriter, playwright, actor and director Guillermo Calderón (Violeta went to heaven and El club) took charge of bringing this acclaimed book to a film version; and the direction will be led by Rodrigo Sepúlveda (I'm afraid bullfighter, Aurora and Our Father). In addition, the main cast will consist of actors Andrew Bargsted, Vivianne Dietz and Claudio Arredondo.
Ardent Patience will be the first original Chilean Netflix film and this is the description shared by the platform: “It will tell the story of Mario (Bargsted), a young fisherman who dreams of becoming a poet and becoming the postman of Neruda (Arredondo). The verses and metaphors that Mario will learn will be very important in order to conquer the woman of his dreams, Beatriz (Dietz)”.
Before the filming began, the protagonists expressed their excitement to be part of this project set by the sea. “I think it's very important to talk about love right now, besides the fact that the story of the film is inserted in a social and political context that inspires the present,” said Andrew Bargsted, a 28-year-old artist who gave life to Claudio Narea for the Movistar Play series The Prisoners.
For her part, Vivianne Dietz is a stage and television actress known in her country for acting in telenovelas such as Yo soy Lorenzo and Edificio Corona. She assured that this duo with her co-star will be key to work in front of the cameras: “With Andrew we have worked together before, we are very close friends and I feel that it benefits the work a lot, it is an honor to share with him. It has been an enriching experience to be his partner again.”
“This start of filming is very special. We are happy to be able to tell this powerful story in Chile and surrounded by unique landscapes. The incorporation of Rodrigo Sepúlveda in the direction will give a look and sensitivity that will undoubtedly move viewers around the world,” said Francisco Ramos, Netflix's VP of Content for Latin America.
About the Chilean author Antonio Skármeta
Antonio Skármeta was born in Antogasta and is considered one of the greatest representatives of Latin American literature. His writings have been brought to the big screen multiple times and the Netflix film will not be the first time that Ardiente Paciencia has had a film adaptation. Previously, two films were made, one in 1983, and another in 1994 (under the title Neruda's Postman).
Other literary works have also inspired stories told by real actors such as The Victory Dance and The Plebiscite, the latter being key to writing the screenplay for No (2012), starring Gael García Bernal and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Pablo Larraín. In 2014, the Chilean author was recognized with the National Prize for Literature in his native country.
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