LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA

This epic romance set in Cartagena, Colombia, is based on the much-loved novel by Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Poor young poet Florentino Ariza (Javier Bardem) falls in love at first sight with Fermina Daza (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) and determines to woo her, but her father (John Leguizamo) has other plans for his only daughter. He marries Fermina off to a wealthy doctor (Benjamin Bratt), but Florentino never forgets her. Though he indulges in several hundred affairs, his heart still yearns for Fermina, and he is prepared to wait a lifetime for true love. Although it is very long (139 minutes), the book translates quite well to the screen, and Bardem’s puppy dog romantic is kind of endearing. Well worth seeing. (Lachlan Jobbins)