"A Map of the Heart" (Der Felsen) is a dreary tale about a distraught tourist losing her emotional balance on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Hoping to sell audiences on its deeper meanings, though, veteran German director Dominik Graf lavishes every trick of lighting and video camerawork he knows on this meager story populated with many unsympathetic characters.
It's No Sale, but, hey, you can't blame a guy for trying. You can, however, blame him for trite characters, contrived situations and implausible coincidences. Even these Graf and co-writer Markus Busch try to explain away by unraveling the tale within the African tradition of improvisational storytelling. Practitioners, who still ply this trade in Corsica, must link three random objects with an impromptu story, thus excusing the weird contours of its plot lines.
Mostly, Graf makes himself the movie's star by using the story as a pretext for his self-serving visuals. There will always be critics, some adult moviegoers and even festival juries impressed by such showoffs, so who knows how this competition film will fare at the Berlin International Film Festival? In the commercial marketplace, though, "Map" can expect only the shortest of theatrical runs.
Katrin's (Karoline Eichhorn) holiday becomes a nightmare when her married lover (Ralph Herforth) informs her that his wife is pregnant. (Doesn't your heart go out to her already?) When he splits, the unhinged Katrin strays from her "tourist sanctuary" to the company of male lowlifes who seemingly lurk around every corner on Corsica.
She falls in with a German youth named Malte (Antonio Wannek), who turns out to be a resident of a nearby camp of juvenile delinquents. His puppy-dog devotion to Katrin distracts her from the island's other sexual warriors. Malte goes AWOL from the camp, taking Katrin and his 11-year-old brother Kai (Sebastian Urzendowsky) on a volatile journey into the mountains.
What Malte's brother is doing on Corsica is never explained. Kai spends most of his time collecting junk from the beaches and trying to convince German tourists to adopt him.
The story bears scant scrutiny, but the characters are noteworthy for being among the most dislikable encountered in recent movies. Seemingly, they all lack brains, morality or even survival instincts. Wannek's Malte is the most viable character, an instinctual, amoral youth thrown for a loop by his first encounter with absolute love. Eichhorn projects an earthy sensuality, but Katrin is such a dummy that she can do little but go for broke in playing the emotive extremes.
The movie is jumpy and impressionistic, with the fatalistic drone of an unknown narrator playing against Hana Mullner's nervous editing and cinematographer Benedict Neuenfels' mix of light levels and weather conditions.
A MAP OF THE HEART
Kinowelt/ZDF/Bavaria Film
Producer: Gloria Burkert
Director: Dominik Graf
Screenwriters: Markus Busch, Dominik Graf
Director of photography: Benedict Neuenfels
Production designer: Claus Jurgen Pfeiffer
Music: Dieter Schleip
Costume designer: Barbara Grupp
Editor: Hana Mullner
Color/stereo
Cast:
Katrin: Karoline Eichhorn
Malte: Antonio Wannek
Kai: Sebastian Urzendowsky
Jurgen: Ralph Herforth
Robert: Peter Lohmeyer
Running time -- 116 minutes
No MPAA rating...
It's No Sale, but, hey, you can't blame a guy for trying. You can, however, blame him for trite characters, contrived situations and implausible coincidences. Even these Graf and co-writer Markus Busch try to explain away by unraveling the tale within the African tradition of improvisational storytelling. Practitioners, who still ply this trade in Corsica, must link three random objects with an impromptu story, thus excusing the weird contours of its plot lines.
Mostly, Graf makes himself the movie's star by using the story as a pretext for his self-serving visuals. There will always be critics, some adult moviegoers and even festival juries impressed by such showoffs, so who knows how this competition film will fare at the Berlin International Film Festival? In the commercial marketplace, though, "Map" can expect only the shortest of theatrical runs.
Katrin's (Karoline Eichhorn) holiday becomes a nightmare when her married lover (Ralph Herforth) informs her that his wife is pregnant. (Doesn't your heart go out to her already?) When he splits, the unhinged Katrin strays from her "tourist sanctuary" to the company of male lowlifes who seemingly lurk around every corner on Corsica.
She falls in with a German youth named Malte (Antonio Wannek), who turns out to be a resident of a nearby camp of juvenile delinquents. His puppy-dog devotion to Katrin distracts her from the island's other sexual warriors. Malte goes AWOL from the camp, taking Katrin and his 11-year-old brother Kai (Sebastian Urzendowsky) on a volatile journey into the mountains.
What Malte's brother is doing on Corsica is never explained. Kai spends most of his time collecting junk from the beaches and trying to convince German tourists to adopt him.
The story bears scant scrutiny, but the characters are noteworthy for being among the most dislikable encountered in recent movies. Seemingly, they all lack brains, morality or even survival instincts. Wannek's Malte is the most viable character, an instinctual, amoral youth thrown for a loop by his first encounter with absolute love. Eichhorn projects an earthy sensuality, but Katrin is such a dummy that she can do little but go for broke in playing the emotive extremes.
The movie is jumpy and impressionistic, with the fatalistic drone of an unknown narrator playing against Hana Mullner's nervous editing and cinematographer Benedict Neuenfels' mix of light levels and weather conditions.
A MAP OF THE HEART
Kinowelt/ZDF/Bavaria Film
Producer: Gloria Burkert
Director: Dominik Graf
Screenwriters: Markus Busch, Dominik Graf
Director of photography: Benedict Neuenfels
Production designer: Claus Jurgen Pfeiffer
Music: Dieter Schleip
Costume designer: Barbara Grupp
Editor: Hana Mullner
Color/stereo
Cast:
Katrin: Karoline Eichhorn
Malte: Antonio Wannek
Kai: Sebastian Urzendowsky
Jurgen: Ralph Herforth
Robert: Peter Lohmeyer
Running time -- 116 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/27/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.