Reimagining the Left in Neruda : Inclusivity and Encounters with Secondary Characters

Pablo Larraín’s Neruda centers on the poet’s escape into exile during the government of González Videla, elected in 1946 with the support of the Chilean Communist Party. Once in office, he illegalized the party and initiated a campaign of intense persecution against known members, including then Senator Pablo Neruda. While the focus of the film is Cold War-type conflicts between the political left and right, certain interactions between key secondary characters in the film and Neruda highlight spaces of tensions on the left. This portrayal seems to be informed by the importance that contemporary leftist political movements and parties in Chile place on fully incorporating women, the LGBTQ community, and youth in their agendas, not central concerns in the late 1940s. These character’s emotions show their frustrations with the party and cultural icon Neruda, both of whom they choose to support but challenge to be more inclusive. This chapter analyzes these secondary characters and their affective power as spectral figures that highlight the excluded zones of the Communist Party. Their performances cast a critical light on the party’s past while also reminding the viewer of the inclusiveness that will be possible in its future.