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Jason Scott Lee, Anne Parillaud, Patrick Bergin, Robert Joamie, Annie Galipeau ... see more see more... , John Cusack , Jeanne Moreau , Ben Mendelsohn , Clotilde Courau , Jerry Snell , Harry Hill , Gordon Masten , Minor Mustain , Mark Ruel , Richard Zeman , Bronwen Mantel , Charlotte Coleman , Kliment Dentchev , Monique Spaziani , Griffith Brewer , Kliment Denchev

A white, Inuit boy named Avik is the focus of New Zealand director Vincent Ward's meditation on race and romance. In the opening moments of the movie, set in 1931 in the Arctic-Canadian settlement Nun... read more read more...ataaq, Avik (portrayed initially by Robert Joamie) lives under the watchful eye of his grandmother (Jayko Pitseolak). While tagging along after British cartographer Walter Russell (Patrick Bergin), Avik falls prey to the "white man's disease,"--tuberculosis; to assuage his own guilt, Russell takes the boy to a Montreal clinic to recover. There, Avik meets Albertine, a mixed-blood Indian girl, and the two fall in love, but their relationship is quickly broken up by the Mother Superior who is in charge of the clinic. Years later, Avik again meets Russell, who this time is on a mission to recover the German U-boat lying wrecked off the coast of Nunataaq. Avik asks for Russell's help in learning the whereabouts of Albertine, and he gives the cartographer a chest X-ray of the girl which he has carried with him since their separation. More time elapses, and Avik (now played by Jason Scott Lee) has become a British bombardier fighting in World War II. He is sought out by Albertine (Anne Parillaud), who has become Russell's mistress. Still, she begins an affair with Avik; Russell soon finds out, and as revenge sends Avik and his crew on a suicide mission of which Avik is the lone survivor. Despondent over his war experiences, Avik flees to Canada, where he becomes an alcoholic; decades later, he is sought out by Rainee (Clotilde Courau), the daughter born from his affair with Albertine. On his way to the girl's wedding, Avik is killed in an accident; his body washes up on the beach at Nunataaq, a wedding gift still clutched in his arms. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

Flixster Users

73% liked it

2,134 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

20 critics

R, 1 hr. 49 min.

Directed by: Vincent Ward

Release Date: January 1, 1992

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DVD Release Date: June 1, 2004

Stats: 113 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (113)

  • itsjustme2004
    April 24, 2012
    itsjustme2004
    Nice. Moving. Touching...even though the style of this movie definitely shows its age. Much has happened in the last 20 yrs to improve productions. To see this movie made again, with todays expertise, would be really fantastic. FYI: John Cusack is in this for less than 5 min...
  • deano
    January 29, 2007
    deano
    Average film narrative about an Inuit Eskimo's life and his relationship with a half-breed Indian girl that looks like its epic story.
  • bcavros
    September 11, 2010
    bcavros
    The movie starts off very well with interesting relationships between Inuit, European and other Meso-American peoples and then switches gears into a sweeping romance. Jason Scott Lee really steps up to and fills his role as an Inuit who is drawn into a world he is unfamiliar with... read more. By the time the film gets to WWII it might as well be Pearl Harbor w/ burning models instead of god CGI. As a note Cusack has a 5 Minute role sitting at a table looking at a map listening to Lee retell his story
  • DRob608994
    February 12, 2008
    DRob608994
    Another obscure film which deals with the controversial carpet-bombing of Dresden during WWII. Very moving.
  • randomaddress4u
    April 14, 2007
    randomaddress4u
    I wanted to feel more connected to the characters in this film than I actually was. The childhood scenes were the sweetest and most poignant. The adult characters and the struggle to maintain the relationship just didn't interest me as much. Overall, a rather visually appealin... read moreg film though. Don't expect much from John Cusack in this film. His screen time is almost non-existant.

View All Map of the Human Heart Reviews

Critic Reviews

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Even by Mr. Ward's own high standards in the area of idiosyncrasy, this is a daringly peculiar tale. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

A film of incantatory intensity and moment by a prodigiously gifted young filmmaker. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

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. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The best movies seem to reinvent themselves as they move along, not drawing from worn-out sources, and Map of the Human Heart is one of the year's best films. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
December 26, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

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 e... Full Review

Michael Dequina
January 5, 2004
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

Visually stunning and emotionally powerful... a buried treasure. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
July 12, 2003
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Succeeds admirably in showing us just how much love the heart can hold in the face of so many obstacles and so much pain. Full Review

Jon Niccum
September 7, 2002
Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World

An interesting, overlooked film

Chuck Rudolph
July 25, 2002
Chuck Rudolph, Matinee Magazine

Dreamy, romantic, and ultimately haunting. A rare movie that deserves to be called a true original.

Stephen Farber
January 9, 2002
Stephen Farber, Movieline

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. Full Review

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