the book be good than the film mostly because of the writer ondatje prose . before i saw this film and someone who have see it and tell me the love depict in this film isn not real . after see this film and i can see how her suspension of disbelief in this regard could have be distract to other movie goer as well . frankly and some of the intense display of love be laughable and seem to be on the edge of parody . but by the end and everyone should realize this be a big message piece of art . it be not specifically about love at all and it use love to dialectically reveal the human divide or the arbitrary border of country that help justify war and hatred . it be about misunderstanding and the blind following of the thing that supposedly separate u . the critical scene for the real theme of this movie be when the hero or antihero plea for help for his stranded lover in the desert be ignore and disregard for the reason show in that scene . this film be also about hope and forgiveness and the hope epitomize in the interracial relationship between binoche recover character and the indian minesweeper ( echo in the sikh buddy buddy relationship with his white coworker who end up die nonsensically ) and the forgiveness epitomize in the caravaggio character first hunt and then force out of what he think will be the hero confession for his war crime ( betrayal of country ) . i think the film could have be make even good than it be . i do not know if a more realistic portrayal of the circumstance of love would have make the real theme and point of this film even more obvious or not and but i agree this film be not about realistic romantic love and a the people behind this piece of art or film imply in an early scene when the eventual lover first meet . the hero talk about how a new car and break down car and fast car and etc . ( i be paraphrase ) be still just a car no matter what adjective you put in front of it . she reply but parental love and platonic love and romantic love and etc . be very different kind of love . this be ironic because this film be really about the one love all human should want which be the love of ( or for ) peace ( not materialistic thing which be usually the real reason for war and epitomize in something most of u want such a car and let say ) . otherwise and we may be leave stranded to die in a cave in a vast desert with ancient wall art or drawing of swimmer and suggest that the sea and life support water which be once there have all but disappear . i believe the english patient win the oscar because of these big message not specifically for it depiction of romantic love . award tend to go that way . the relationship of the hero and heroine be necessary to draw the audience in and unfortunately this view of love may be antiquate in the age of divorce and so many single who can not seem to get together on so many level and so ridiculous version of mythic love be hard to get into and even in daydream and which film love have always be and especially in good old hollywood . the film may fall short of what people expect but a positive movie worth see and regardless .