The Sleeping Dictionary

Jan 31, 2003

1h 49m

★ 6.4

He's an unexpected education.

Overview

In the 1930s, British officer John Truscott journeys to a remote village in colonial Malaysia to educate and Westernize the local Iban population. There, he's introduced to the lovely Selima. In keeping with tradition, Selima is assigned to sleep with Truscott and teach him the native language and customs. But when they fall in love, both colonists and natives object to their plans to marry.

Genres

Drama

Romance

Production Companies

Fine Line Features

Hat Trick Productions

Katira Productions

The Sleeping Dictionary Trailers

Cast

Selima

Jessica Alba

Aggie

Brenda Blethyn

John Truscott

Hugh Dancy

Henry Bullard

Bob Hoskins

Jasmine

Christopher Ling Lee Ian

Famous

Junix Inocian

Melaka

Michael Jessing Langgi

Policeman

Mano Maniam

Tipong

K.K. Moggie

Cecil

Emily Mortimer

Jester Woman

Cicilia Anak Richard

Vicar

Malcolm Rogers

In revenge for her husband's infidelity, a young beautiful housewife, Mi-heun, starts an affair with an attractive young doctor, In-gyu. Despite her husband's efforts to regain her love and the disapproval by the conservative little town, Mi-huen gradually finds happiness and satisfaction in the affair and decides to turn her back on her quiet life.

5.9

Dancing at Lughnasa

Sep 4, 1998

Five unmarried sisters make the most of their simple existence in rural Ireland in the 1930s.

6.8

Gosford Park

Dec 26, 2001

In 1930s England, a group of pretentious rich and famous gather together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect.

6.7

The Children of Huang Shi

Apr 3, 2008

About young British journalist, George Hogg, who with the assistance of a courageous Australian nurse, saves a group of orphaned children during the Japanese occupation of China in 1937.

6.7

Jimmy's Hall

May 30, 2014

Jimmy Gralton returns from New York and reopens his beloved community hall, only to meet opposition from the local parish.

0.0

All That We Never Were

Jun 5, 2026

19-year-old Leah navigates a coming-of-age journey in the wake of a tragic car accident that claims her parents. Relocated to a coastal town under the care of her brother’s best friend Axel, Leah grapples with grief, haunting nightmares and a fractured sense of self.

7.2

Places in the Heart

Sep 11, 1984

In 1935 rural Texas, recently widowed Edna Spaulding struggles to survive with two small children, a farm to run, and very little money in the bank - not to mention a deadly tornado and the unwelcome presence of the Ku Klux Klan. Edna is aided by her beautician sister, Margaret; a blind boarder, Mr. Will; and a would-be thief, Moze, who decides to teach Edna how to plant and harvest cotton.

7.1

Vermiglio

Sep 19, 2024

In the last days of the Second World War, a deserting soldier disrupts a tranquil and isolated mountain community. For one family, his arrival brings excitement and romance, but tragedy lies in wait.

6.6

Australia

Nov 18, 2008

Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin by Japanese forces firsthand.

No Image Available

3.5

Up! Up! To the sky

Jan 17, 2008

From an early age, Arnold believes he is an extraterrestrial. Day in, day out, he is busy trying to build a flying machine that will finally take him "home". Protected by his mother Ida and her long-time admirer, the country doctor Emil, he is regarded as a quirky but lovable outsider in his home village.

5.8

Under a Volcano

Jun 20, 2025

As a volcano threatens northern Tenerife, the spark between a headstrong scientist and a disciplined pilot tests their ability to resolve the crisis.

7.6

Three Days to Forever

Jun 26, 2007

Yusuf and his cousin Ambar spend a wild night out just before heading out of town for a relative’s wedding. When the pair passes out overnight and Ambar misses her flight, the two head off on a three-day road trip. Little do they realize those three days will have a lasting impact on their lives.

7.0

Rabbit-Proof Fence

Feb 4, 2002

In 1931, three Aboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their homes to be trained as domestic staff, and set off on a trek across the Outback.

7.3

Dazed and Confused

Sep 24, 1993

The adventures of a group of Texas teens on their last day of school in 1976, centering on student Randall Floyd, who moves easily among stoners, jocks and geeks. Floyd is a star athlete, but he also likes smoking weed, which presents a conundrum when his football coach demands he sign a "no drugs" pledge.

No Image Available

0.0

Hotel Shanghai

Jul 26, 1997

German two-part miniseries about the westerns staying at a popular hotel in Shanghai as the Japanese invasion of China also known as the Second Sino-Japanese War begins in 1937 as a precursor to WWII.

No Image Available

4.0

Comincerà tutto un mattino: io donna tu donna

Jan 1, 1978

Neglected by her husband, a woman takes refuge in love for a young director. But he only thinks about sex and does not give her anything that can comfort her emotionally.

No Image Available

7.0

Nie

Feb 24, 1978

The poverty of Slovak workers during the Great Depression during the Masaryk Republic reached such a level that it led to a well-organized strike. The capitalists and their minions tried by all means to break it. Even the workers who had not yet been elected soon recognized their place and supported the initiative of the communists, who selflessly led the strike movement. The poster-like, purely ideological story succumbs to paper-like dialogues and plots, and the narrative portrayal hardly convinces of the credibility of the whole story.