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A Map of the World

A Map of the World

Drama · 1999

School nurse Alice Goodwin lives with her husband and two daughters on a dairy farm in a small Wisconsin community. After an accident on her property involving a friend's child, the town turns against her and Alice finds herself fighting charges of child abuse.

Movie details

A Map of the World

“A woman's life falls apart after she's blamed for an accident on her property.”

1999 Drama 2h 5m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.0 / 10

Community rating

School nurse Alice Goodwin lives with her husband and two daughters on a dairy farm in a small Wisconsin community. After an accident on her property involving a friend's child, the town turns against her and Alice finds herself fighting charges of child abuse.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over A Map of the World?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Scott Elliott

Written by

Peter Hedges · Polly Platt

Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver

Alice Goodwin

Julianne Moore

Julianne Moore

Theresa Collins

David Strathairn

David Strathairn

Howard Goodwin

Arliss Howard

Arliss Howard

Paul Reverdy

Chloë Sevigny

Chloë Sevigny

Carole Mackessy

Sara Rue

Sara Rue

Debbie

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

Dyshett

Court is in session

Put A Map of the World on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.