The Sleeping Dictionary

The Sleeping Dictionary is a romantic drama set in 1930s Borneo, in the British colonial territory of Sarawak. John Truscott, a young British officer, arrives in a remote village with orders to bring Western education and customs to the local Iban people. Part of the local tradition is that a woman is assigned to him as a companion, teaching him the language and the ways of the community in private as well as in public. That woman is Selima, and the arrangement between them gradually turns into genuine love. Their plans to marry meet resistance from both the colonial authorities and the villagers, and the two are separated.

Guy Jenkin directed and wrote the film, his first feature as director; his next came eleven years later with What We Did on Our Holiday. Jessica Alba plays Selima and Hugh Dancy plays John Truscott, with Brenda Blethyn as Aggie, Bob Hoskins as Henry Bullard, Junix Inocian as Famous and Mano Maniam as Policeman. The production, a German, British and American co-production, had a budget of 12 million USD.

The film runs 109 minutes and was released on 31 January 2003. On TMDB it holds a rating of 6.6 out of 10 from 195 votes, a modest score suggesting a mixed but not hostile response from those who have seen it.