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Amazon.co.uk Review
Basque director Julio Medem makes films like no one else's. Quirky, audacious, visually startling, they play teasing games with themes of doubling and fate. Symbolism runs riot, ironies abound, narratives stop dead to focus on seemingly absurd details--and in fact the whole shebang would risk being terminally pretentious were it not for Medem's subversive humour, inviting us into the joke and daring us to take him seriously.
Lovers of the Arctic Circle is typical of his idiosyncratic brand of free-wheeling fantasy. In Madrid, two foster-siblings grow up to find themselves gripped by irresistible, quasi-incestuous passion. Flashbacks reaching back to the Spanish Civil War show us how their destinies, those of the parents, and of their parents' lovers, have become entwined. The siblings are parted by circumstance, but seek each other out in Finland's Arctic north. Medem plays sleight-of-hand with doublings and wordplay, cutting deftly between the past, present and future, constantly challenging us to guess where he's heading next in the circling convolutions of his plot. --Philip Kemp
New York Times
Lush and dreamily beautiful
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Stumbling across this film by way of Amazon's DVD rental “if you liked that, you might want to try this…” service was a piece of marvellous serendipity; this is a gem of a film, a stunning treat on every level. If, like me, you were previously ignorant as to the existence of Julio Medem, there could be no better place to start than this, his undoubted masterpiece.
The story is told in a series of overlapping vignettes, mostly from the viewpoints of the two central lovers who meet aged eight and never fall out of love. Their story, and that of their families, becomes impossibly entwined and entangled in a world where fantastic coincidence is the norm; where everything seems to fated. The plot is unique and, as the Gods play with the pieces, Medem turns the screw and the tension becomes totally gripping.
Although a dark tale, the directorial style - typically whimsical and full of humour and delightful detail - stops things from ever becoming mawkish or sentimental. Fele Martínez is charming as the adult Otto - as are the actors portraying the younger version - but the film is stolen by Najwa Nimri (Anna) whose expressive eyes (close-ups of which the story begins and ends) render the subtitles almost superfluous. This is a film to buy, not to rent; second and third viewings are better - the harder you look to more you see.
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
Quite why I am the first person to review this sublime piece of film making I have no idea. Amazon should have been calling a halt to an avalanche of praise by now. Why? Because this is the most beautiful film I have seen in years. And anyone who's seen it should be writing to Amazon to say so. Well, I am. So here goes. Lovers Of The Arctic circle is a tease. It's all about chance, fate, time and even circles - and yet all these intellectual conceits are woven seemlessly into a truly heartbreaking love story. If you have a beating heart, check it out. And then go and find The Red Squirrel and Tierra by the same director.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
When Dylan Thomas wrote (fragments): "The ball I threw while playing in the park has not yet reached the ground... Though lovers may be lost, love shall not, and death... shall have no dominion ... WOW! Medem's Los Amantes del Circulo Polar (Lovers of the Artic Circle) is one of the best movies ever... Chance, fate, law of attraction...everything is never as exactly as we wish...But quite often, we come to see clearly the most beautiful moments of our lives, just only when those moments have come to be the past... Lovers of the Polar Circle is a victory of the Romantic Cinema, a triumph of narrative and love. For Romantisism `s Lovers, some movies can be wached on and on, and after each time, we are left we that nice taste of an excellent wine, coffee, te or a great cigar. A list that always grows, counting: Saint Exupery "Nocturnal Fly"; Christhoper Reeve's "Somewhere in Time", Vincent Ward's "Map of the Human Heart"; Krzysztof Kieaelowski's "Three Colors", Ondataje's "The English Patient" Steven Sodeberg /Stanislaw Lem's "Solaris".To summarize the movie in a romantic manner, I wrote this little poem from Ana's perspective: "My darling, I was running madly in love looking for you, and though I never made it -to the other side- of the street, I did manage to see your face: the most beautiful image my eyes ever saw... Please look carefully into them: there You Are ... Forever!" Signed: Ana.
Bravisimo Doctor Medem! If this movie is ever re-mastered, I believe the inclusion of the song -same title as the movie- of "La Oreja de Van Gogh" would be a deep magic touch mixed with the original soundtrack, when the credits appear on screen.
By jorge escolan-suay. Vancouver, Canada
Bravisimo Doctor Medem! If this movie is ever re-mastered, I believe the inclusion of the song -same title as the movie- of "La Oreja de Van Gogh" would be a deep magic touch mixed with the original soundtrack, when the credits appear on screen.
By jorge escolan-suay. Vancouver, Canada
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
"Compassionately written drama..."
Spanish screenwriter and director Julio Medém`s fourth feature film which he wrote the screenplay for, was shot in Madrid, Spain and on different locations in Finland. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Sindri
A slow unravelling and reworking of a circular affair.
Deep and dramatic but dotted with hilarious comedy (unless I got it wrong - but actual "uphill ski-ing"? Read more
Published on 26 May 2010 by Mrs. Katharine Kirby
My favourite Medem film
Beautifully shot but heartbreakingly sad, this is my favourite Julio Medem film (followed by 'Sex and Lucia' and 'Tierra'). Read more
Published on 6 Feb 2010 by Bookworm79
Chilly Arctic an acquired taste
Soulful loner Fele Martinez irresistibly drawn towards grave young beauty Najwa Nimri in an intensely romantic circle-of-life tragi-comedy from Spanish film-maker Julio Medem,... Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2009 by Montague Smith
Compelling
Eight years old Otto (Peru Medem), is playing with a ball one day after school in the playground, and the ball gets away and into the woods, Otto chases after it, and meets Ana... Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2008 by Billy Ray Cyrus
Going Round In Circles With Julio Medem
I love Spanish movies and especially those of Medem, but Lovers... disappointed me with its seemingly tragic ending. Read more
Published on 14 Aug 2006 by Philoctetes
The Omnipresence of Fate
"Lovers of the Arctic Circle" is one of the best "love stories" that I have seen for some time. It follows the relationship between step-siblings (is that the correct term for two... Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2006 by L. Davidson
Very Compelling & Beautifully Acted Movie
I bought this based on Amazon reviews & I have no regrets. Julio Mendem is a mind teaser & as a director/producer he is one of the best movie makers. Read more
Published on 4 Oct 2004 by Mr. Wt Makhathini
Circular movie
It's a Circular movie, names, actions, nature, speaks,love, eyes all is circular.
A Great Great movie.
Menem shows how geometry could be poetry.
A new era.
A Great Great movie.
Menem shows how geometry could be poetry.
A new era.
Published on 21 Jan 2002 by stephane_pia@hotmail.com
Great movie
I love Spanish movies and this is one of my favorites. It doesn't really have a linear plotline so it might not be to everyones taste. To me it's lyrical and mistical. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2001 by canonera@netscape.net
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