fedor8 Review of Map of the Human Heart

Map of the Human Heart (1992)

Another European art drama, but not without merit.

[5 January 2007]

Avik, a little Eskimo brat, messes with a mapmaker's equipment and later spits blood into his face. What he needed was a slap in the face... The movie is very European in the sense that every event has to be symbolic, everything has to be poetic, lyrical, or whatever. I mean, just look at the pretentious title (something Oprah Winfrey would say when addressing her band of dumb female viewers). The dialog suffers the most from this; because everything has to be so absolutely grand, most characters, some of the time, talk unlike real people do. Hence the dialog is occasionally awkward. Parillaud is charming and good, whereas Lee is likable but average. The revisionist views regarding the bombing of Dresden weren't necessary. The ending, though very much as grand as everything here is supposed to be, is quite good. Even the scene of the first time Parillaud and Lee have sex has to be grand: they do it on a huge air-balloon. And one of their romantic meetings is on top of Albert Hall, minutes before Germans start bombing the neighbourhood. So granditudionallly grandispliferous. Definitely watchable, but not captivating.