Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998) Los amantes del Círculo Polar (original title)

Director:

Julio Medem

Writer:

Julio Medem (writer)

Release Date:

4 September 1998 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

Destiny cannot be denied.

Plot:

Otto and Ana are kids when they meet each other. Their names are palindromes. They meet by chance, people are related by chance...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Midnight Sun | Sun | Palindrome | Two Narrators

Awards:

13 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Najwa Nimri	...	Ana joven
Fele Martínez	...	Otto joven (as Fele Martinez)
Nancho Novo	...	Álvaro
Maru Valdivielso	...	Olga
Peru Medem	...	Otto niño
Sara Valiente	...	Ana niña
Víctor Hugo Oliveira	...	Otto adolescente (as Victor Hugo Oliviera)
Kristel Díaz	...	Ana adolescente (as Kristel Diaz)
Pep Munné	...	Javier (as Pep Munne)
Jaroslaw Bielski	...	Álvaro Midelman (as jaroslaw Bielski)
Rosa Morales	...	Sofía
Joost Siedhoff	...	Otto Midelman
Beate Jensen	...	Madre de Otto
Petri Heino	...	Aki
Outi Alanen	...	Mensajera
María Isasi	...	Dependienta (as Maria Isasi-Isasmendi)
Ángela Castilla	...	Casera pensión (as Angela Castilla)
Luz Nicolás	...	Chica 1
Concha Salinas	...	Chica 2
Elena Lombao	...	Chica 3
Montse Mostaza	...	Chica 4
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
J. Christoffer Slotte	...	Man on street in Rovaniemi (uncredited)

Directed by
Julio Medem

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Julio Medem		writer

Produced by
Fernando Bovaira	....	producer
Fernando de Garcillán	....	executive producer
Txarly Llorente	....	executive producer
Enrique López Lavigne	....	producer

Original Music by
Alberto Iglesias

Cinematography by
Gonzalo F. Berridi

Film Editing by
Iván Aledo

Casting by
Sara Bilbatúa

Production Design by
Itziar Arrieta
Satur Idarreta
Estíbaliz Markiegi
Karmele Soler

Art Direction by
Satur Idarreta
Montse Sanz

Costume Design by
Estíbaliz Markiegi

Makeup Department
Ione Gabarain	....	assistant hair stylist
Karmele Soler	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Imanol Echeverría	....	assistant unit manager
Klaus Heydemann	....	production manager: Finland
Rea Pihlasviita	....	production manager: Finland
Carmen Sánchez	....	unit production manager
Fernando Victoria de Lecea	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Emma Beltrán	....	assistant director: Spain
Susana González	....	assistant director: Spain
Nacho Gutierrez	....	assistant director
Mats Kuhlefelt	....	assistant director: Finland
Antxon Zabala	....	assistant director - Spain

Art Department
Paco Escribano	....	property master
Hannu Huuhtanen	....	carpenter
Mikel Izaguirre	....	property master
Mikko Kaskia	....	property master: Finland
Titta Tuulispää	....	property master: Finland
Jukka Uusitalo	....	set decorator: Finland
Erkki Wessman	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Polo Aledo	....	sound editor
Antonio Alfara	....	assistant sound editor
Sergio Corral	....	sound
Manuel Corrales	....	sound effects editor
Tomás Erice	....	boom operator
Tomás Erice	....	sound mixer
Carlos Garrido	....	sound mixer
Dulce Juanita	....	sound editor: Spain
Iván Marín	....	sound engineer
Ricardo Viñas	....	dolby sound consultant

Special Effects by
Antonio Castillo	....	special effects
Antonio Molina	....	special effects
Juan Ramón Molina	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Pilar Cienfuegos	....	digital effects
Isaac de la Pompa	....	digital effects
Chema Marcos	....	digital effects
Alfonso Nieto	....	digital effects

Stunts
Marina de Mendialdúa	....	stunts
Pablo Garaizabal	....	stunts
Jouni Kivimäki	....	stunts: Finland
Reijo Kontio	....	stunts: Finland
Ángel Plana	....	stunt coordinator
Ángel Plana	....	stunts
Ricardo Rocca	....	stunts
Merja Snellman	....	stunts: Finland

Camera and Electrical Department
José Avila	....	electrician
Juan Miguel Azpiroz	....	assistant camera (as Juanmi Azpiroz)
Miguel Ángel Cárdenas	....	gaffer
Alfredo Díaz	....	key grip
Manuel Gago	....	electrician
Teresa Isasi-Isasmendi	....	still photographer
Kimmo Koskela	....	still photographer: Finland
Jani Lehtinen	....	grip: Finland
Mario Montero	....	camera operator
Imanol Nabea	....	assistant camera
Jan Nyman	....	camera operator: second unit
Rauno Ronkainen	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Maarit Soumi	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Rico Torres	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anna Aromaa	....	assistant costumer: Finland
Elena Gómez	....	assistant costumer

Editorial Department
Mercedes Alted	....	assistant editor
Enrique Domínguez	....	assistant editor
Isabel Ranz	....	assistant editor

Music Department
José Luis Crespo	....	music engineer
José Luis Crespo	....	music mixer
Lucio Godoy	....	music producer
Mario Klemens	....	conductor
Víctor Merlo	....	musician: bass
Javier Paxariño	....	musician: flute

Other crew
Heikki Ahonius	....	production coordinator: Finland
Bernardo Corral	....	production assistant
Lucía del Río	....	production coordinator
Fernando Fortuño	....	assistant production manager
Ana Gonzalez	....	production secretary
Petri Heino	....	location manager: Finland
Tarja Jakunaho	....	production assistant: Finland
Montse Ordorica	....	script supervisor
Satu Pusa	....	production secretary: Finland
Kimmo Taavila	....	location assistant
Suski Taskinen	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Canal+
• Sociedad
• Sociedad General de Televisión (Sogetel)

Distributors

• Altavista
• Sociedad General de Cine (SOGECINE) S.A. (1998) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Colifilms Distribution (1999) (France) (theatrical)
• Fine Line Features (1999) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• United King Films (1999) (Israel) (theatrical)
• Eurocine (1999) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Cinemien (1999) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Europafilm AS (1999) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Budapest Film (2000) (Hungary) (theatrical)
• Sir Film (2004) (Turkey) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2000) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Cult Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2000) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• Metro Tartan Distribution Ltd. (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2009) (Brazil) (DVD)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2001) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, The  orchestra
• Red Led  music mixed at (uncredited)
• Red Led  music recorded at
• Smécky Studios  music recorded at

Also Known As:

"Los amantes del Círculo Polar" - Spain (original title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality and brief language

Runtime:

112 min | Brazil:104 min

Country:

Spain | France

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Germany:12 | Mexico:B | Peru:14 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Company:

Canal+

Goofs:

Continuity: In the shop, the red heart continuously appears and disappears from the counter.

Quotes:

Otto:Where is my mother?
Ana:Nobody knows, it's up to you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mr. Nobody (2009)

Soundtrack:

Sinitaivas

Deep into visual poetry

It's really difficult to understand European cinema after watching thousands of American-Big Studio films.

At least that's what looks clearly apparent when I read many of the comments in imdb. But for some of us, who are in contact with a different way of making films, this one excels at the visual poetry from the very start.

And from a cinematographer's point of view, as a real jewel in filmmaking. What Los Amantes is about, is love, and only that. The way this story is portrayed is quite original, in a way some directors have tried and done pretty good jobs (Alejandro González Iñárritu, for instance, in his two films: Amores Perros and 21 Grams). It's a compelling way to explain simple things in reverse. Thoughts, and internal processes are not directly understood or apparent to the viewer. Medem demands his audience to think (remember Abre los Ojos).

It's really sad to think that linear and flat plots that only demand to sit and watch are what most people see as good films. When something catches them out of balance, sometimes they refuse to stay tuned and think.

The revelation, as is with this film, comes at the very end. And it deserves a second session to go through the small details -which are plenty in Medem's work.

It's a long film... some argue. What is a long film when everything is like a whirlpool that draws you in? I don't think this is a long film. Me and many of my friends have pored through it many, many times. So many, in fact, that we had to throw away the original video. A pity, because it was in it's original widescreen version, not as the recently issued dvd that's been murderously cropped.

Whatever it is what you like to see, take a look at this film. It can open a lot of possibilities to widen your taste, and your approach to "long" films.