The Sleeping Dictionary
You say colonial epic, I say Alba. No, not Alda, as in Alan Alda. Alba. As in Jessica Alba. In a period piece! The title actually refers to Alba's character: She's a Sarawak (look it up) native, assigned to teach the British imperialist who comes to rule her village how to speak the native tongue. She does this through sleeping with him. You know, figuratively. Faster than you can say "forbidden love," this all turns nasty for all parties. I can't say much for the wandering storyline (which is all too reminiscent of everything from Original Sin to Wide Sargasso Sea), but the cinematography is stellar for a direct-to-DVD movie, and Alba has a really naked back.
Rating
2.5 out of 5 Stars
- Director: Guy Jenkin
- Producer: Simon Bosanquet, Jimmy Mulville, Denise O'Donoghue
- Screenwriter: Guy Jenkin
- Stars: Jessica Alba, Brenda Blethyn, Hugh Dancy, Bob Hoskins, Emily Mortimer, Noah Taylor
- MPAA Rating: R
- Year of Release: 2003
- Released on Video: 10/01/2004
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