Burn Your Maps

Utterly beautiful, speechlessly brilliant.

I understand there aren't very many women directors, and there's a movement to encourage, so I reserve my final point in support of that worthy effort.

This is the kind of movie the world needs. One that is simple and yet crazy at the same time. Like who even sits down and thinks. "Hmmm, how about a movie/book about a young white American boy who thinks he is Mongolian"? This is originality at it's finest! This may be one of the most underrated films in the past decade and I so wish for it to be seen by more people. This movie will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you cringe, and make you smile; and feel all of these different emotions at the same time! I can not by any means, do this film enough justice in describing it. All I can do is encourage everyone that I can to watch this film. It will make your day, trust me!

Within 5 minutes of the beginning of this film, my wife leaned over and whispered, "I love this film." I had just been thinking the same thing. "Burn Your Maps" is incredibly well written, acted, and directed. You don't realize in the first 5 minutes that the director is going to take you on a journey that will skillfully stir so many emotions, but that is exactly what Jordan Roberts does. The characters, brilliantly portrayed by Vera Farmiga, Jacob Tremblay, and others, are all lost in their own way and spend the film journeying to find themselves and to be found by others. Movies that touch on so many emotions can often seem manipulative of the viewer. Not this one. That's where "Burn Your Maps" really shines. It is incredibly crafted to take you on the journey. I'm usually really time sensitive on movies, very aware if parts seem to drag or are uneven. Honestly, I have no idea how long this movie lasted. From those first five minutes through the closing credits, I was immersed in the story that kept me at a pleasing state of "feeling". Go see this movie. You'll be glad you did.

I was surprised in the amount of movies that kid Jacob Tremblay already played. At his young age he's already been is some good movies, even an excellent one like Room. In Burn Your Maps he's still only eleven but already a delight to watch. His character was funny and cute, it's what made this movie worth watching. The rest of the cast was also good with Vera Farmiga and Suraj Sharma playing the other two main characters. The story is just funny, a kid wanting to be a Mongolian and even though the Mongolian scenes are filmed in Alberta, Canada it looked like it could have been in Mongolia. Nice cinematography, very good acting and a pleasant story, Burn Your Maps got it all.

I totally recommend this for those who want a underlying heavy drama with a light portrayal. It's an adventure type of movie where the surroundings and characters evolve, so much dynamic that you can watch this movie many times and still enjoy it.