Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magical Medem's Masterpiece, 17 Dec 2005
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.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
spellbinding tricksy love story, 20 Oct 2000
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.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An authentique masterpice, most definetively A MUST!, 6 April 2007
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
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