The Lovers of the Arctic Circle Review

by Akiva Gottlieb (akiva AT excite DOT com)
May 23rd, 1999
Lovers Of The Arctic Circle ***1/2

rated R
Fine Line Features
in Spanish with English subtitles
starring Najwa Nimri, Fele Martinez, Nacho Novo, Maru Valdivieso, Kristel Diaz, Victor Hugo Oliveira, Sara Valiente, Peru Medem, Jaroslav Bielski, Rosa Morales
written and directed by Julio Medem

Julio Medem's poignant, unconventional "Lovers Of The Arctic Circle" is a film that shows the viewer the earthshaking power of destiny. The film stars Najwa Nimri and Fele Martinez(both of whom starred in this year's other Spanish import "Open Your Eyes") as Ana and Otto, two people with palindromic names who are destined to be lovers. We learn of their destinies through a series of coincidences; coincidences that Ana says, through voice-over, make up her entire life.

When Ana meets Otto, her father has just died, and she believes that his soul has crossed over to this boy. Fate then works in mysterious ways, making her mom and Otto's dad fall in love. While she is still a child, she only looks up to Otto in a paternal way.

Otto, however, is love-stricken from the first time he sees Ana. His parents have just gotten a divorce and he is going through problems of his own. Otto and Ana bond together in their time of loss, creating a kinship based on empathy.

As they become teenagers, their relationship becomes sexual, and they must try to hide their affairs from their very naive parents. As they get older, though, they begin to drift apart. The inevitable tragedy, foreshadowed in the film's first scene, draws nearer.

Writer/director Julio Medem crafts a highly poetic love story; one that spans the circle of life. "Lovers Of The Arctic Circle" gives an entirely new spin on the age-old tale of tragic romance. The camera work is wondrous and the characters are vivid. "Lovers Of The Arctic Circle" gets my full recommendation.

a review by Akiva Gottlieb, The Teenage Movie Critic
[email protected]
http://www.angelfire.com/mo/film

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