Cast: Jason Scott Lee, Anne Parillaud, Patrick Bergin, John Cusack
Director: Vincent Ward
Producer: Tim Bevin
Screenplay: Louis Nowra based on a story by Vincent Ward
Cinematography: Eduardo Serra
Music: Gabriel Yared
U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films
Avik (Jason Scott Lee) is a young Eskimo boy living with his tribe in the Canadian Arctic. One day in 1931, Walter (Patrick Bergin) arrives there as the head of a British mapping expedition. He befriends Avik, and, when the boy becomes gravely ill, flies him back to Montreal for treatment. There, Avik meets Albertine (Anne Parillaud). After their initial encounters as adversaries, the two become fast friends. Eventually, they are separated, but Avik vows never to forget her. Over a decade later, during his stint as a bomber pilot in the second world war, the two meet again.
Map of the Human Heart is an overly-sentimental love story with a generally downbeat tone. The story is framed around a series of coincidences, few of which are believable. There is a certain epic sweep to this film which many "dramatic romances" lack. The emotional impact of Map of the Human Heart, however, is almost nonexistent. The characters remain too distanced from the audience.
The most obvious problem with Map of the Human Heart is its editing. Of all the films I've seen in recent years, only the Salkinds' Christopher Columbus movie rivals this for cutting room butchering. In this case, the final product is so disjointed that at times the transitions (or lack thereof) are laughably absurd. The original European version of this movie is significantly longer. While the quality of that picture may not be better than the one distributed by Miramax, it certainly must flow better.
Character interaction is marginal. We see skeletons of relationships, but none -- not even the central one between Avik and Albertine -- is developed satisfactorily. Especially weak is the interaction between Avik and Walter. For Map of the Human Heart to really work, we have to be able to accept that there is a deep and abiding love between these two, a sort of father/son relationship. Unfortunately, we see little evidence of this.
In general, the movie seems to be full of half-realized themes and ideas. Questions of identity are touched on, but the subject is never pursued to its conclusion. Cut short is a potentially-powerful scene where a member of a bomber crew is forced to experience firsthand the devastation he has wrought.
One thing that can't be denied, and that not even the editing can take away, is how beautifully this movie has been filmed. The shots of dozens of gigantic bombers drifting over a flaming Dresden is as effective as any similar scene in another war picture, and the brief aerial battles are the equal of those from Memphis Belle.
The acting is as uneven as everything else in the movie. The child actors who take up much of the early screen time are merely passable, and their adult counterparts aren't much better. Anne Parillaud (La Femme Nikita) is especially disappointing, as she overacts her way through the part. Patrick Bergin (Sleeping With the Enemy) goes in the other direction, showing virtually no emotion. Jason Scott Lee (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story), perhaps the most consistent of the major participants, exudes little charisma, but shows some acting skill. John Cusack, who is billed for a cameo appearance, is on screen for a total of about four minutes.
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. But, due to the characters' blandness, we're cheated of even an effective romance. Someone should have given director Vincent Ward directions about how to get the audience involved in his story. As it is, we're left on the outside, looking in.
© 1993 James Berardinelli