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ERA
Did you know
33 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Map of the Human Heart
"Born in the magic of youth. Forged by the passions of war. Their love knew no boundaries."
1993 1h 49m EN
😐
6.2
MID
🍅
78%
FRESH
👌
71
METACRITIC
⭐
7
IMDB
★6.2TMDB · 39🍅78%Rotten Tomatoes●71Metacritic★7IMDB · 3,472
AdventureDramaRomanceWar
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
In an Arctic village in 1931, British mapmaker Walter Russell selects 12-year-old Eskimo Avik as his guide. When the boy contracts tuberculosis, Walter flies him to a Montreal hospital, where Avik meets Albertine and is infatuated. A decade later, a grown Avik encounters Albertine again in London, where he's serving as a British combat pilot. Despite her relationship with Walter, she and Avik begin an affair.
“Born in the magic of youth. Forged by the passions of war. Their love knew no boundaries.”
Cast
Jason Scott Lee
Avik
Robert Joamie
Young Avik
Anne Parillaud
Albertine
Annie Galipeau
Young Albertine
Patrick Bergin
Walter Russell
Clotilde Courau
Rainee
John Cusack
The Mapmaker
Jeanne Moreau
Sister Banville
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Vincent Ward
- Writers
- Louis Nowra, Vincent Ward
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- Australia, Canada, France, United Kingdom, United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
International production across 5 countries: Australia, Canada, France, United Kingdom, United States of America.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Vincent Ward, shot by Eduardo Serra. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Gabriel Yared. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Frans Vandenburg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Jason Scott Lee and Robert Joamie and Anne Parillaud carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "Born in the magic of youth. Forged by the passions of war. Their love knew no boundaries.".
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0104812 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Vincent Ward directs. Eduardo Serra behind the camera. Gabriel Yared scores. Frans Vandenburg cuts. Produced in Australia, Canada, France, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 133 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 2International production across 5 countries: Australia, Canada, France, United Kingdom, United States of America.
- 3Directed by Vincent Ward, shot by Eduardo Serra. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by Gabriel Yared. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Frans Vandenburg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Jason Scott Lee and Robert Joamie and Anne Parillaud carry the top of the cast.
- 7Marketing tagline: "Born in the magic of youth. Forged by the passions of war. Their love knew no boundaries.".
- 8IMDB entry: tt0104812 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Only 39 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
- 10Classified under 9 themes, including "world war ii", "inuit", "arctic polar circle region", "interracial romance".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Eduardo Serra
- Original score
- Gabriel Yared
- Editing
- Frans Vandenburg
- Production design
- John Beard
- Costume design
- Penny Rose
- Runtime
- 109 min · 1h 49m
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- R
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 78% 🍅 Fresh
- Metacritic
- 71/100
- IMDB rating
- 7/10 · 3,472 votes
- MPAA
- R
- US box office
- $2,806,881
Awards
3 wins & 8 nominations
Also by
Vincent Ward
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Production companies
Who made it
- LE
Les Films Ariane
FR
Working Title
GB
- MA
Map Films
- VI
Vincent Ward Films
AU
- SU
Sunrise Films
CA
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
US
Australian Film Finance Corporation
AU
Key crew
- Production DesignJohn Beard
- EditorFrans Vandenburg
- ProducerVincent Ward
- ProducerTim Bevan
- CastingKate Dowd
- EditorJohn Scott
- CastingDonna Morong
- Costume DesignPenny Rose
- CastingJohanna Ray
- Costume DesignRenée April
- StuntsJean Frenette
- Co-ProducerTimothy White
- Executive ProducerBob Weinstein
- Co-ProducerPaul Saltzman
- Co-ProducerLinda Beath
- Co-ProducerSylvaine Sainderichin
- Executive ProducerGraham Bradstreet
- Executive ProducerHarvey Weinstein
- Associate ProducerRedmond Morris
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- world war ii
- inuit
- arctic polar circle region
- interracial romance
- tuberculosis
- snowmobile
- 1940s
- cartographer
- 1930s
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical (limited)1993-04-23R
- Theatrical1993-05-14
Also known as
International titles
- Coeur de métisseFR
