A Map of the World (film)


A Map of the World is a 1999 American drama film, based on the 1994 novel of the same name by Jane Hamilton. It was directed by Scott Elliott and stars Sigourney Weaver, Julianne Moore, and David Strathairn. Sigourney Weaver was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama.

Plot

Alice Goodwin is a school nurse who lives with her husband Howard and two girls on a small dairy farm in Wisconsin. After the death of the daughter of her friend Theresa Collins on Alice's property, the couple watch helplessly as the community turns against them. To make matters worse, Alice finds herself fighting charges of child abuse.

Cast

In addition, the young daughters of Weaver's character were played by real life sisters Dara and Kayla Perlmutter.

Critical reception

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half out of four stars, praising the performances, and likening it to such movies as Being John Malkovich and Three Kings in "being free—in being capable of taking any turn at any moment, without the need to follow tired conventions". The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.