Directed by Scott Elliott; starring Sigourney Weaver, David Strathairn, Julianne Moore, Chloe Sevigny, Ron Lea and Arliss Howard.
Last week, when I found myself quietly weeping while watching A Map of the World, it took my boyfriend to point out that my tears were probably not a testament to the movie, but a sign that I had entered that monthly stretch when my back aches, my butt seems too big and Lifetime movies make me cry. A Map of the World is the debut film of the up-and-coming theater director Scott Elliott. Unfortunately, while the movie features a stellar cast and some beautiful cinematography, it probably won’t appeal to anyone who is not in the throes of Pre-Menstrual Syndrome.Based on Jane Hamilton’s quietly provocative 1994 novel of the same name, A Map of the World is the story of Alice Goodwin (Sigourney Weaver), the wife of a Wisconsin dairy farmer and the mother of two small children, Emma and Claire. When she’s not working as nurse at Blackwell, a local elementary school, she is helping her husband Howard (David Strathairn) on their enormous dairy farm. The drama begins almost immediately when her neighbor’s (Julianne Moore) youngest child Lizzy accidentally drowns in a pond while in Alice’s care. In the midst of the crisis, the mother of a Blackwell student (Chloe Sevigny) accuses Alice of sexual abuse. When three other children join the complaint, Alice is arrested and shipped off to county lock up.
What makes the A Map of the World, the book, so compelling is not only the blockbuster plot points – death, prison and a compelling courtroom drama – but the way Hamilton deftly examines the character’s individual psychology. The first section of the book, written from Alice’s point of view, not only examines her guilt and anger, but also captures the inherent complexities of motherhood. Irreverent and opinionated, it isn’t always easy to like Alice, but thanks to Hamilton’s keen observation and poetic prose, it’s always easy to empathize with her.
While Weaver (who was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance) clearly struggled to capture the character’s inconsistencies, somehow her Alice inspires less compassion than the one found in the pages of Hamilton’s book. Even in the heart of my pre-menstrual predicament, it wasn’t Alice who made me cry. It was Howard, sweet Howard, left to care for his farm and daughters while his self-indulgent wife laments her days away in prison, who induced my tears. Strathairn perfectly captures the tacit and sorrowful man I envisioned when I read the book. And thanks to his performance, I feel comfortable recommending A Map of the World as the first movie in a new Current series entitled “JoAnne’s Premenstrual Movie of the Month.” – JoAnne Steglitz