Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

SnoopyStyle At an Arctic oil site, elderly Inuit Avik (Jason Scott Lee) befriends the newly arrived Mapmaker (John Cusack). As a boy, Avik's tribe is visited by cartographer Walter Russell (Patrick Bergin). He falls ill from tuberculosis and Walter takes him to a Montreal hospital. He meets and punches Métis girl Albertine. She punches back and they're in love. Years later, Walter returns to find a stranded U-Boat. Avik has been shunned for being bad luck. Abandoned by his people, he goes south to join the war and becomes a bombardier. In England, he runs into Albertine (Anne Parillaud) who is now having an affair with Walter.This is an epic of tragic romance. It has a fable quality. The plot does jump sometimes. The little kids are really charming. They have real chemistry. The adult versions have a little less chemistry. They don't have anything as cool as punching each other although having sex on a barrage balloon is very different. The most emotional moments have to be the grandmother when Avik leaves her twice. Her's is a devastating heart-break. There is a lot of story here and director Vincent Ward does a pretty good job. While there are big war action, it could be done with more thrills. There are also lots of surreal scenes which could be improved with a more imaginative camera. Nevertheless, this is a memorable unique film.

jtt2007 I absolutely adore this film and was overjoyed when it eventually became available on DVD. But was rather disappointed that they have never released a directors cut, I remember when it first came out there was a 4-5 hour version show at the Venice or Berlin film festival, I still have the cutting of a review from the screening and the writer was totally blown away by it and commented that it deserved to be released uncut. But back then as we know now people weren't prepared to sit in a cinema for that long, but now with the advent of DVD and everyone basically wanting a cinema at home with large plasma and 5.1 sound, its great that you are now getting the choice to see these gems as they were originally envisioned, its a real shame as i personally feel that this was a highlight of everyone involved in this movie, and is wards best movie, you also can tell when watching it that there is a lot of stuff missing, especially in the cuts from scene to scene. I don't think that a couple of deleted scenes was enough on the DVD, and the score is totally amazing,why no isolated track, try and get a hold of it if you can, it took me nearly 11 years to get my hands on it, eventually gave up hope of ever finding it and by pure chance found it in a second hand store in a tiny village called Comrie in Scotland, it was fate i think,paid 10p for it on cd, its by Gabriel Yared and is amazing.Anyway buy it on DVD its worth it and i cant ever see them releasing it uncut unfortunately, unless they ever release a vincent ward box set, now that would be worth buying. Anyone know of any other version available then please post comment.

ebrown2112 This is an engrossing love story and adventure, told in flashback. The film does not resort to lurid melodrama, to recycled storylines, but seems to grow organically and unpredictably. The imagery of the film resonates long afterwards. We experience the horrors of war and the exhilaration of reunited lovers, and the film's final scene is truly haunting and heartbreaking. A remarkable achievement.

Jeff Blanco I had to drive 38 miles to see it..But it was fantastic. I'm usually a "guy Movie" person, but this film moved me so profoundly. The ending was extremely sad. A beautiful movie anyone would enjoy.