The Sleeping Dictionary (2003)

In colonial Borneo, language becomes a bridge - and a battleground

Sent to teach English in 1930s Sarawak, young British officer John Truscott is assigned a “sleeping dictionary” - a local woman named Selima who teaches him language and customs by day, and shares his bed by night. As their secret love grows, John must choose between duty, desire, and the oppressive rules of empire that threaten to destroy them both.