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A radical poet fleeing from a corrupt government, chased by a policeman across the stunning scenery of southern Chile - sounds like an ideal setting for a thriller, but this really happened to famous poet and Chilean politician Pablo Neruda in 1948.

Actor Gael Garc铆a Bernal and Pablo Larra铆n, director of the Oscar-nominated film Jackie, tell us about their 鈥榝alse biopic鈥� Neruda, an inventive and playful story about the poet鈥檚 time as a fugitive, pursued by the determined policeman Peluchonneau (Bernal). Neruda (Luis Gnecco) becomes so excited by this game of cat-and-mouse that he comes to enjoy the feeling of being chased, leaving crime novels containing personalised notes to his pursuer behind to toy with the policeman鈥檚 mind, and the two men become obsessed with each other as the manhunt continues.

鈥淣eruda liked crime stories 鈥� that鈥檚 why the film turns out to be a road movie with a police investigation element鈥�, says Larra铆n. He explains that they were more interested in being truthful to the poet鈥檚 literary legacy rather than creating a 100% accurate biopic: 鈥淲e invented a world, just as Neruda invented his. The film we made is more a 鈥淣erudian鈥� film than it is a film about Neruda, or perhaps it鈥檚 both. We created a novel that we would have liked Neruda to read.鈥�

Even in hiding, Pablo Neruda continued to write poetry that challenged Chile鈥檚 leaders and inspired its citizens, and was even championed abroad by the likes of Pablo Picasso. He achieved worldwide recognition, and in 1971 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Neruda is released in the UK on Friday 7 April 2017.

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