“Romeo and Juliet”, signed by Julio Medem
“LOVERS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE”
PLOT
Julio Medem introduces us to the passionate love story of Ana and Otto. The two eight-year-old children meet one day after school, and from that moment, their lives begin to draw a circle full of coincidences, convergence and divergence that will be closed 17 years later in Finland, at the Arctic Circle.
JANIRE ZURBANO ARRESE
This film presents a great love story, tragic but charming. Lovers of the Arctic Circle is complex but at the same time beautiful thanks to the skills of its filmmaker Julio Medem and his taste for the details. Before entering into Medem universe, you have to know that nothing is by chance in this Basque director’s cinema; everything is carefully thought to the slightest detail and he leaves coincidences for the big screen.
THE FILM DIRECTOR: JULIO MEDEM
REVIEW
Lovers of the Arctic Circle gave Medem public recognition, establishing him as one of the great directors of Spanish cinema. The Basque filmmaker is a master at building a love story through poetic terms; he navigates between fantasy and reality, and raises questions instead of answers. The film director of Sex and Lucia (2001), Chaotic Ana (2007) and Room in Rome (2010) recreates in this film an obsessive and repetitive universe where themes of love, death and nature prevail. It also reflects his fascination for chance, escape and the subconscious.
As we have already mentioned, Ana and Otto live an intense love story, universal theme par excellence, but it is not a conventional love story. It will remind you of classic love tales, those written by Shakespeare, that attract viewer's attention from minute one, but portend a devastating outcome. However, despite sensing a tragic end hangs over the characters, the viewer cannot stop enjoying every shot, every scene and every word during the nearly two hours of film. This movie is about an impossible love told through a visual poetry, a dreamy atmosphere and the constant game of chance that lead you across a fascinating and unreal plot. The cryptic language that Medem usually uses in his films is not a handicap for people watching Lovers of the Arctic Circle to empathize with the main characters.
To create this haunting and hypnotic atmosphere that will not let you lose the thread of the plot for a second, Ana and Otto plunge us into a world where circularity and chance guide the development of their lives. Everything is accompanied by a striking visual style, while prevailing dark tones (grey and blue) that do nothing but deepen the gloom and uncertainty stalking the main characters throughout the film. Every detail of every scene is an indispensable part in order to create a whole that will pleasantly surprise even the most critical of moviegoers. The main reason why watching Lovers of the Arctic Circle? We assure you that it will be forever etched in your memory because of its visual beauty and the richness of the narrative. Step into Medem universe with his masterpiece, "For never was a story of more woe than this of Ana and her Otto."
FILM DETAILS
Directed by: Julio Medem
Starring: Najwa Nimri, Fele Martínez, Maru Valdivieso, Nancho Novo, Peru Medem, Sara Valiente, Víctor Hugo Oliveira, Kristel Díaz, Pep Munné, Jarolaw Bielski, Rosa Morales, Joost Siedhoff, Beate Hensen, Petri Heino
Country: Spain, France
Year: 1998.
Release dates: 09-04-1998 (Spain)
Running time: 112 min.
Genre: Drama
Rating: 9
For those who love Shakespearean romanticism
The best: how it raises the inevitable role of fate in our lives.
The worst: sometimes the recurring use of chance makes the history seem unreal.
TRAILER (CLICK ON THE IMAGE)
AWARDS
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Goya Awards for Best Editing (Iván Aledo) and Best Original Score (Alberto Iglesias)
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Best European Film at the Brussels Film Festival
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Best Film at the Toulousse Film Festival
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The Audience Award for Julio Medem at the 2000 Athens International Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Latin Film at the Gramado Film Festival.
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Ondas Award for Best Spanish Film and for Best Actress (Najwa Nimri)