Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998)

In cold Lapland Finland, under the eternal midnight sun, two ardent lovers reunite once again after a long period apart, governed by a powerful and eloquent circular motif woven by destiny, faith, and love. Can they deny their destiny?

Director:

Julio Medem

Writer:

Julio Medem

Stars:

Najwa Nimri, Fele Martínez, Nancho Novo

14 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 | male full rear nudity | 

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Taglines:

Destiny will take them to the boundaries of the world.

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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:

28 August 1998 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Lovers of the Arctic Circle

Filming Locations:

Rovaniemi, Finland

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,697, 11 April 1999

Gross USA:

$317,422

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$357,549

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: Do you always sleep under your bed, naked? Give me a good morning kiss.

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Crazy Credits

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

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Mummy/The Castle/This Is My Father/A Midsummer Night's Dream/Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1999)

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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

Spiritual, surprising movie

Your love's mother gets married to your father, she becomes your sister and you grow up together as brother and sister. What a story!!! And Julio Medem is a great director who made a very good film from this story. The movie is full of original ideas, this uncommon relationship requires an uncommon way of telling. The story builts up from mosaics so it keeps you interested in until the last minute because you have to put the pieces in order for yourself. It's a fantastic idea that we can only see the children (Otto and Ana) at the back seat of the parents' car going to school. They don't meet each other for years just at the car and they don't even talk to each other because their love is so deep and spiritual that words are unnecessary. Just secret touches, stolen moments. When the teenager Otto moves to his father's and stepmother's house because he wants to be next to Ana, they become real lovers. The first night together, when their spiritual love becomes physical, is a so gentle, innocent and discovering journey into the world of sexuality, that never been better put on screen before. The next scenes, where we can see them as secret lovers hiding from the parents are so beautiful that the last one hour, when Otto leaves Ana and works as a pilot and they don't meet for years, is one of the most sorrowful one hour in the film history. They are crossing each other's lines, but they never meet, and it causes a physical pain to the viewer. During these years they're getting to know more about themselves and their family, relationships, have some accidental meetings. Finally, years after they meet... The ending is as unusual as the whole movie, Julio Medem had enough talent to make a good ending which is the biggest risk of the movies - and he doesn't fail, leaves some doors open, because life doesn't finish, when curtain goes down. Full of surprises, one of the best film of the 90s. I highly recommend it to everyone who is tired of pink, unrealistic romantic films, and wants to see a really good, modern romantic film.