Sleeping Dictionary (2003)
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68% of users liked it
(6,707 ratings)
Guy Jenkin directs this straight-to-video romantic drama shot on-location in Malaysia. In the rainforests of Boreno in the 1930s, English officer John Truscott (Hugh Dancy) accepts a position to colonize the native population of Sarawak at the request of the British government. In following with the… More Guy Jenkin directs this straight-to-video romantic drama shot on-location in Malaysia. In the rainforests of Boreno in the 1930s, English officer John Truscott (Hugh Dancy) accepts a position to colonize the native population of Sarawak at the request of the British government. In following with the native tradition, he is given the services of a servant, Selima (Jessica Alba). A position that British officers refer to as a "sleeping dictionary," she is a concubine to share his bed and teach him the local language. The tradition forbids romantic entanglements, so the relationship is watched over by superior officer Henry Bullard (Bob Hoskins) and his wife, Aggie (Brenda Blethyn). When Selima and John fall madly in love, they enrage both the colonizers and the colonized. Also starring Emily Mortimer and Noah Taylor. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Directed By
- Guy Jenkin
- Written By
- Guy Jenkin
- Genres
- Drama, Romance
- In Theaters
- Feb 18, 2003 Wide
- Studio
- Fine Line Features
Critic Reviews
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Robert Pardi, TV Guide's Movie Guide
If your taste runs to palm fronds and moonlit rendezvous, you might enjoy this impeccably produced bit of kitsch.
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Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
I can't say much for the wandering storyline...
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Bill Gibron, DVD Verdict
Moments of brilliance surrounded by occasional utter nonsense.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A rather stiff soap opera romantic-melodrama.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Hugh Dancy
as John Truscott
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Jessica Alba
as Selima
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Brenda Blethyn
as Aggie
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Bob Hoskins
as Henry Bullard
- Emily Mortimer
- Noah Taylor
