Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998)

In Lapland Finland, under the eternal midnight sun, two ardent lovers will reunite once again after a long period apart, governed by a powerful and eloquent circular motif that is woven by destiny, faith and love.

Director:

Julio Medem

Writer:

Julio Medem

Stars:

Najwa Nimri, Fele Martínez, Nancho Novo

13 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
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

Storyline

Otto and Ana are kids when they meet each other. Their names are palindromes. They meet by chance, people are related by chance. A story of circular lives, with circular names, and a circular place (Círculo polar) where the day never ends in the midnight sun. There are things that never end, and Love is one of them.

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Plot Keywords:

stepfather stepdaughter relationship | stepbrother stepsister relationship | finland | arctic circle | sun | 

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Taglines:

Destiny cannot be denied.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Spain France

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

4 September 1998 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Lovers of the Arctic Circle

Filming Locations:

Rovaniemi, Finland

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,697, 11 April 1999, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$504,223, 1 August 1999

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When asked where the idea for the movie came from, Julio Medem said that he started thinking about it after getting divorced, because it was the first time he experienced heartbreak and wanted to write a movie about the love as the most powerful force, something that never ends and it's forever between two people.

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Goofs

Otto jumps from his plane at 66°33"40' North, 02°55"05' East. These are the geographic coordinates that Ana wrote on her letter to Otto, to mark the location where she was staying in Finland (Rovaniemi). But if he really would have used these coordinates he would have jumped right into the Atlantic Ocean. The (almost) correct location of the cottage where Ana was staying is 66°33"40' North, 25°55"05' East. That is also the same location that the old Otto points out on his map when he and Ana meet each other for the first time in his apartment in Rovaniemi.

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Quotes

Ana: I could tell my life story as a train of coincidences.

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Crazy Credits

"En el recuerdo de mi padre" - In memory of my father.

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Connections

Referenced in Brows Held High: Room in Rome (2013)

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Soundtracks

Sinitaivas
Written by Josef Rixner, Lauri Jauhiainen, George de Godzinsky
Performed by Olavi Virta and The Harmony Sisters

User Reviews

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.