Map of the Human Heart (1993)
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Synopsis: When a 1920s biplane carrying British explorer Walter Russell lands near Eskimos in the arctic, Russell befriends young Avik, a Euro-Eskimo boy suffering from tuberculosis. He flies Avik to a Catholic hospital in Montreal where the boy meets Albertine, a kindred-soul and playmate, also of... When a 1920s biplane carrying British explorer Walter Russell lands near Eskimos in the arctic, Russell befriends young Avik, a Euro-Eskimo boy suffering from tuberculosis. He flies Avik to a Catholic hospital in Montreal where the boy meets Albertine, a kindred-soul and playmate, also of mixed parentage. Under the strict tutelage and watchful eye of Sister Baeauville, the two forge a friendship that evolves into puppy love. Although they share everything, young Albertine, a half Native-American half French-Canadian child learns racial self-hatred from Sister Baeauville who tells her she "doesn't have to be a savage." After ten years of separation the lovers meet again. Albertine is a beautiful WAAF photo analyst now betrothed to Walter. Handsome Avik is an English fighter pilot. Their love is rekindled, but will they ever be reunited? [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Jason Scott Lee, Robert Joamie, Anne Parillaud, Annie Galipeau, Patrick Bergin
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
As directed and co-written by Vincent Ward, this romantic drama tries to say something poignant about a doomed interracial love and the fateful nature of human encounters, but everything about it is excessive.
Succeeds admirably in showing us just how much love the heart can hold in the face of so many obstacles and so much pain.
Even by Mr. Ward's own high standards in the area of idiosyncrasy, this is a daringly peculiar tale.
Dreamy, romantic, and ultimately haunting. A rare movie that deserves to be called a true original.
The love story (which features Jason Scott Lee and Anne Parillaud) that means to add pathos to this cultural collision doesn't generate enough heat. But the theme tantalizes, and many of the images soar.
Map of the Human Heart is an enjoyable two-hour ride, an unusual and eccentric combination of old-fashioned and modern movie sensibilities, told from a decidedly '90s mindset.
A film of incantatory intensity and moment by a prodigiously gifted young filmmaker.
Despite its historical surrounding and a few stabs at thematic depth, Map of the Human Heart has all the flavor and plot complexity of a Harlequin romance.
Map of the Human Heart is one of those rare films that illuminates a single human story, and does it so well that you're hardly aware you're watching a movie.
News
posted by RT Staff March 16, 2005
A 70-mm French comedy by Jacques Tati will open my 7th annual Overlooked Film Festival this April, and a Bollywood...


Top Critic