This movie, about love lost and found, started out full of promise. An Eskimo village in the Canadian arctic is visited by a British mapmaker in 1931 who befriends an orphaned native, Avik. Avik contracts tuberculosis and the mapmaker flies him to Montreal, where he is raised in a Catholic hospital/school. He heals, learns English and meets a girl who, like him, is a half-breed, and they enjoy an episode of puppy love until she is whisked away. So far, so good. We anticipate the two meeting again. A decade later he ends up as part of an RAF bombing crew in World War II. Coincidentally, the girl is also working for the British military, reading the photographs taken by Avik on his bombing runs. Also, she is involved with the man who rescued young Avik years earlier. This was one of those movies that sent one to the kitchen after the first act to microwave some popcorn and enjoy the rest. Unfortunately, the second half was disappointing. The characters, relationships and situations don't live up to expectations. Much of the cinematography is excellent, and it's not a total waste. But the film could have been so much more.
Review of Map of the Human Heart
