Lovers of the Arctic Circle (film)

Infobox Film
name = Lovers of the Arctic Circle


image_size =
caption = Poster for "Los amantes del círculo polar"
director = Julio Médem
producer = Fernando Bovaira
Fernando de Garcillán
Enrique López Lavigne
Txarly Llorente
writer = Julio Medem
narrator =
starring = Fele Martínez
Najwa Nimri
Nancho Novo
music = Alberto Iglesias
cinematography = Gonzalo F. Berridi
editing =
distributor =
released = 4 September 1998 (Spain)
runtime = 112 minutes
country = Spain
language = Spanish
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0133363

"Lovers of the Arctic Circle" ( _es. Los amantes del círculo polar), sometimes called "The Lovers from the North Pole", is a 1998 film by the Spanish director Julio Medem, starring Najwa Nimri and Fele Martínez. It won two Goya Awards in 1999.

The film tells the story of Otto and Ana, from their chance meeting outside school at the age of 8, until they meet again in their 20s in Lapland within the Arctic Circle, under the midnight sun.

The themes developed form an important part of Julio Medem's universe, and can be found in his other movies. These include love, death, destiny, nature, the circle of life and the coincidences in life.

The film received favorable critical reviews. [ [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990507/REVIEWS/905070302/1023 "Sun Times by Roger Ebert"] . Accessed 2007-11-11]

Plot

The film is circular in plot as well as in a number of other ways (for example, the names of its main characters, Otto and Ana, are both palindromes). The two meet one day after school, when Ana's father dies, and her mother marries his father. Ana believes that Otto is the reincarnation of her father, but eventually the two of them fall in love. For a number of reasons, they are eventually separated, and Otto becomes a pilot flying between Spain and the Arctic Circle. Ana moves to the same area to leave behind her past and past lovers, and tries to get in touch with him again. In the end, however, Ana dies in a freak accident.

The deaths and lives of the characters are made more confusing through anachronisms and plot details that don't make sense.

Production

"Lovers of the Arctic Circle" was shot in Madrid and in various locations in Finland. [cite web |url= http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133363/locations |title= Filming Locations for Los Amantes del Círculo Polar |accessdate=2008-08-22 |format= |work= ]

Julio Medem based part of the film on his own experience of unrequited teenage love for his next door neighbor. [cite web |url= http://articles.latimes.com/1999/apr/23/entertainment/ca-30207 |title= Personal Journey of Medem’s ‘Lovers’ |accessdate=2008-08-22 |author= Lorenza Munoz |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= 1999-04-23 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= the Los Angeles Times |pages= F-2 |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] He also included a a reference to his Basque mother and German father in a scene in which a Basque farmer rescues a stranded German paratrooper. Medem said this was "a way of bringing together the two sides of my family." [cite web |url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E4DA1E31F93BA15750C0A96F958260 |title= Exploring Love in the Arctic, Finding Success in Spain |accessdate=2008-08-22 |author= Leslie Camhi |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= 1999-03-29|year= 1999 |month= |format= |work= |publisher= the New York Times |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

Awards

The film was nominated for four Goya Awards and won for Best Editing and Best Original Score.Julio Medem also received the Audience Award at the 2000 Athens International Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Latin Film at the Gramado Film Festival. The film also won an Ondas Award for Best Spanish Film and Najwa Nimri won for Best Actress. [cite web |url= http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133363/awards|title= Awards for Los Amantes del Círculo Polar |accessdate=2008-08-22 |format= |work= ]

References

External links

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