Lovers of the Arctic Circle . Tucson Weekly . 09-13-99

Lovers of the Arctic Circle

DIRECTED BY: Julio Medem

REVIEWED: 09-13-99

Intrepid adventurers battle their way to the North Pole, good men are lost amidst the rumbling icebergs, and one by one the dogs are eaten as the men cling to life--? Not quite. In this arctic adventure, two foxy Spaniards struggle with love, family and extraordinary coincidences. Writer-director Julio Medem has crafted a thoroughly moving film that explores the lifelong love affair between Ana and Otto who, like Medem, share that special bond of the palindromatically named. The film is structured around a series of flashbacks as we watch the same events first from Otto's eyes, then Ana's, moving forward and back in time and place, from their childhood in Madrid to Ana's adulthood pilgrimage to Finland. The slight yet significant differences between their two visions deepen our understanding of their strange love, and of the precariousness of life itself. Guaranteed to put a hole in your heart, if you have one. (Spanish, with English subtitles).

--Dallas

Full Length Reviews
Lovers of the Arctic Circle
Lovers of the Arctic Circle
Lovers of the Arctic Circle

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