The Heart of the Bear
The Heart of the Bear
| 06 September 2001 (USA)
The Heart of the Bear Trailers

A young Estonian goes to the Siberian Taiga to live as a hunter in a remote forest hut. He hopes to find his true self far from civilisation. The natives he meets introduce him to the myths of the north. The first is a young village teacher who wants to be a good wife to him. The second is a wild and untameable native who becomes his mythical bear-woman. When he accidentally kills a great black bear, his own shadow-creature, he burdens himself with guilt. However, he is given a chance of finding his inner balance. A romantic drama with mythical elements and breathtaking landscapes.

Reviews
mraculeated The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
Benas Mcloughlin Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
kursietis Arvo Iho is my Art of Documentary professor in my university, film department. The only thing that I can say - a great person and a great expert in the field of film. A real professional, who has studied at the Moscow film institute.
kdf This was a very meaningful movie to me. The raw beauty of the landscape (astonishingly similar to some of my own country's), combined with the almost surreal, harsh, yet melancholic storyline has counted this amongst my personal favourites.The symbolism is everywhere, the journey of self-discovery here is presented in a way that it never has been on-screen before.I feel very lucky to have seen this movie when it came as part of a Baltic film series at our best theatre. As soon as I read the preview for it, I felt compelled to see it, as if by instinct, and am now yearning to see it again soon. But will it ever come back? Or be put onto a format which I can play here at home? I have tried contacting the Distributor and the Estonian Film Commission but have not received a response.I can only echo the comments of others here, especially ise-2's review. This may well become one of the great hidden treasures of cinematic history.The acting is so superb and sincere, it is as if they are not actors. The landscapes are truly wild and you can almost feel the dampness yet inexplicable warmth of the northern forest.Some may find it slow and plodding, as I've heard. Pervasive underlying themes and sweeping journeys across the landscape aren't often readily accepted by a majority of movie-goers.This is far ahead of any other movie about self-discovery. If there ever was a film that could leave a lasting impression on me this is it. And I don't even know Estonian!
ntsu It's one of the best movies I have ever seen. I really recommend you to watch it. Karu süda is not just some Hollywood junk. It has a deep meaning hidden somewhere in the movie. 10points out of 10 :)
EstoLeo I really enjoyed this movie. It was something really different from all the other crap.Lets begin by bringing out all the good sides of the movie. First the acting was great. Estonian actors really showed they`re class, even in the naturalistic scenes where they had to get naked or do other crazy stuff(let it be a surprise for those who haven`t seen the movie yet). Now the effects... All the effects there were in this movie, were the very best. Etc the one with the beating heart. OK, no hints anymore.Now about the script. It was really something. The script unforseenably original and magical. Though there is a love story in it, love is viewed from a totally different angle. Actually even the final point is that love is not the most important thing in life. The whole story is about finding out who you are and accomplishing inner peace. And all of it is played out to perfect by Rain Simmul.The movie really gives something to think about - it`s a one made with soul and heart. I wish only more movies like this were made, I wish that all big bucks would not be wasted on big budget action movies... There are so many more film directors out there with a message to people. But not many of them get a chanche.