Los amantes del círculo polar
Encyclopedia
Lovers of the Arctic Circle , sometimes called The Lovers from the North Pole, is a 1998 film
by the Spanish
director
Julio Médem
, 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.
The deaths and lives of the characters are made more confusing through anachronism
s and plot details.
and in various locations in Finland
.
Julio Medem based part of the film on his own experience of unrequited teenage love for his next door neighbor. He also included 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."
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.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
by the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Julio Médem
Julio Medem
Julio Médem is a Spanish writer and film director.Medem was born in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain and showed an interest in movies since childhood, when he would take his father's Super 8 camera and shoot at night, while nobody was paying attention...
, starring Najwa Nimri
Najwa Nimri
Najwa Nimri Urrutikoetxea is a Spanish actress and singer of Jordanian descent.-Early life:...
and Fele Martínez
Fele Martínez
Fele Martínez is a Goya Award-winning Spanish actor.-Early years:Martínez was born in Alicante, Spain. A product of the Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático in Madrid, he began to act and direct theater at an early age...
. It won two Goya Awards
Goya Awards
The Goya Awards, known in Spanish as los Premios Goya, are Spain's main national film awards, considered by many in Spain, and internationally, to be the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy 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
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
, 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.
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 film is centered around an incestuous love relationship between step-siblings. 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, one of the main characters dies in a freak accident. Told by Ana's point of view, she and Otto are reunited, and in Otto's point of view, Ana dies.The deaths and lives of the characters are made more confusing through anachronism
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
s and plot details.
Production
Lovers of the Arctic Circle was shot in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and in various locations in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
Julio Medem based part of the film on his own experience of unrequited teenage love for his next door neighbor. He also included a reference to his Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
mother and German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
father in a scene in which a Basque farmer rescues a stranded German paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
. Medem said this was "a way of bringing together the two sides of my family."
Awards
The film was nominated for four Goya AwardsGoya Awards
The Goya Awards, known in Spanish as los Premios Goya, are Spain's main national film awards, considered by many in Spain, and internationally, to be the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy 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
Festival de Gramado
The Gramado Film Festival is an international film festival held annually in the Brazilian city of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, since 1973. Since 1992 it also gives awards to Latin American films produced outside Brazil...
. The film also won an Ondas Award
Premios Ondas
The Premios Ondas have been given since 1954 by Radio Barcelona, a subsidiary of Cadena SER, in recognition of professionals in the fields of radio and television broadcasting, the cinema, and the music industry.Past winners have included R.E.M., U2, The Corrs, Eric Clapton, the Red Hot Chili...
for Best Spanish Film and Najwa Nimri won for Best Actress.