Modern Classics series - number 6 : Map Of The Human Heart (1993)

Directed by Vincent Ward ; written by Ward and Louis Nowra

"Born in the magic of youth. Forged by the passions of war. Their love knew no boundaries. "

A mythic story with a pan-global stage about an Inuit (Jason Scott Lee) and a French-Canadian (Anne Parillaud) who meet as children and forge a bond that survives through separation on different continents, by global war and the passage of time.

It's a fairly simple story of enduring love but it's told in such a charming way and in such a strong lyrical style that it's impossible not to feel pulled by the attraction of the youngsters and want their love to flourish despite all of the difficulties placed in their way.

There are some beautiful scenic shots of Miller's Arctic homeland - vast, sprawling and uninviting yet home to a close-knit community of people who care about each other and take responsibility for each other's well-being.

As the story unfolds we visit Canada, England, the interior of a World War II bomber and the aftermath of the blanket bombing of Dresden (probably a direct reference to "Slaughterhouse 5" and Vonnegut's idea of the seeming random nature of events that are, in fact, connected).

Very ambitious in scope the film succeeds through Vincent Ward's careful visual style which combines the lyric and the poetic with some impressive set pieces - the young lovers intertwined on a deflating barrage balloon being only one of several - and the winsome nature of the two young lovers.

A film about a universal truth that manages to avoid coating itself in a saccharine coat and adds just enough tough edges to avoid falling into morbid sentimentality.

Ward later returned to the themes of this film with the big budget What Dreams May Come (1998), although the greater amount of money available and the box-office pull of his stars on that film didn't allow him to come anywhere near the inventive and engaging results he achieved on this film.