Avik e Albertine

This is a beautiful, thoughtful, heart-wrenching story. The cinematography of the film is artful and intimate, it feels like you are in the room, almost shamefully eavesdropping... the ending doesn't completely gel for me, the story line works, but I think it needs to be fleshed out a bit more. The ensemble performances are letter perfect, the subtleties and inner thoughts of these characters are crystal clear to the viewer, it's almost unnerving. The frantic energy of wartime life is captured beautifully, without being a trite war movie. It's just another layer of these characters reality, it doesn't overwhelm the story. Brandon Lee is beautiful in this role, very impressive performance. Great great story, I loved this movie!!!!

In "Map of the Human Heart", a down and out middle aged Eskimo man recounts his life story to an Arctic cartographer (Cusack, who has only a few minutes on screen) which constitutes the bulk of the film via flashback. His story begins with his puppy love relationship with a young half-breed girl in a hospital. From there the adorable child couple are torn apart only to have fate bring them together again as adults under the less than idyllic circumstances of WWII. The film meanders from the dramatic to the poignant to the romantic to the horrific and back to square one where it continues the story in present day. Beautifully filmed and well executed though a bit clumsy at times, "Map..." spackles up its many plot holes and provides a thoughtful fantasy camouflage for its lack of resolution in the end while serving up very pretty Kodak moments such as making love on a barrage balloon or dancing in the rafters high above an orchestra. "Map..." is sweet stuff for romantics and sentimentalists who can overlook it continuity and credibility issues in the interest of the human heart. (B)

This movie came highly recommended to me; but outstripped all expectations. Outstanding acting, especially from the little boy Eskimo, then from Jason, as the adult character/pilot for the RAF. Absolutely beautiful cinematography; a story that kicks the heart strings in many ways -- kicks and tickles, too, a few times. How about making love on top of a blimp/buzz-bomb decoy? Tastefully done, naturally; but gives you the idea of the style and flavor of this love/war/human condition gem. Lots of wild aerial stuff, all through, nicely woven throughout the tale. Might want to bring your parachute to the theatre... Oh, did I mention a vertiginous scene inside high up in the Albert Hall, a tryst? Snowmobiles and French beauties, etc. Formidable. Like the fire at the end of "Gone with the Wind?" Might want to see the flames in this one, too.

This film is one of the best romance films i have ever watched. At first I just watched it cause Jason Scott Lee was in it so I thought there was gonna be some butt whupin in it but as I watched on I realized that it wasn't that kind of movie. This is the tale of a good Inuit boy with nothing but good intentions and his love for his childhood sweetheart. He get's screwed over again and again by fate until finally he gets a chance to fulfil his wishes but fate intervenes yet again for the final time. This movie was very moving, very sad. The acting in it was superb and makes me wonder why Lee isn't a bigger star than he is. Through out the movie you can't help but feel bad for Avik. Poor guy. I just saw this movie, 2002 and I can't believe that I missed it until now. 9/10

This is an engrossing love story and adventure, told in flashback. The film does not resort to lurid melodrama, to recycled storylines, but seems to grow organically and unpredictably. The imagery of the film resonates long afterwards. We experience the horrors of war and the exhilaration of reunited lovers, and the film's final scene is truly haunting and heartbreaking. A remarkable achievement.