Lovers Of The Arctic Circle

I happened to catch this one on TV one night and was so impressed and intrigued by it's content that I have purchased it... After reading the reviews of other's, I find no one has addressed what I feel this movie is so beautifully portraying. Not only is it a wonderful and moving love story, it is also what I call a "Bardo" story. The best one yet in my opinion. To me it shows what happens at death (at least from the viewpoint of the one who has died), depicted in this movie as if nothing much really happens but the life we believe we are in continues with only some minor changes. In this movie the two main characters, Ana and Otto, actually die several times. The way the movie unfolds it appears as only a bright flash of light and then their apparent journey in this world continues. Not so apparent until the end is that they have both gone into the "bardo" and in fact perhaps we are all in the "bardo". If anyone else was aware of this I would love to hear from them. The story is told from the viewpoint of the two main characters, switching back and forth to their perspective of what is occurring. Behind it all however is something much more profound happening, and could give us a long pause for thought regarding what our beliefs about death are and what other possibilities exist. Whoever wrote this story was truly enlightened regarding reality/illusion. I intend to watch this movie many times to remember something so easy to forget; death has no real power to those who love.

I have seen and loved this movie for sometime now. I finally am able to add it to my personal collection. Not understanding Region 4. I couldn't play it on either of my TV's. I had to change my computer setting to Argentina (region 4) to watch it on my desktop. Need to figure this out.

I didn't like the fact that it's not in a format that my Blu ray player is able to play it, and the company that sold it to me didn't have a warning that I could see about it so that I could have avoided it.

This film requires that you surrender any notions of the feasibility of the actual plot, but it is nonetheless an enchanting tale. If you enjoyed "Sliding Doors" or if you believe in fate, you'll particularly enjoy this. The film is beautiful, with indelible images that still haunted my memory years after I first saw this film - which is why I finally decided to purchase it. The end (and, in appropriate "circular" fashion, the beginning) will leave you mystified and breathless.

I'm generally a fan of Julio Medem, however his earlier films are my favorite. Lovers of the Arctic Circle is a classic and is a great example of the magic realist elements Medem weaves into his stories.

Beautiful love story which transcends time and space. An entrancing movie that is leaps and bounds above any Hollywood crap. Rich, memorable dialogue and images that stay with you for years.

I have only tried it once in my DVD player and it didn't work. I should have notified Amazon immediately but never got around to it. I will try in another DVD player but have a feeling won't work there either.

This is one of the greatest love stories of all time. Medem has truly created something astounding and innovative.... Love it!!!

excellent copy of an excellent film that is no longer available in the USA. it's a region 2 so you'll need an international/region-free dvd player. there are english subtitles.

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. A love story of love, abandoned feelings, unfulfilled desires.The most painful ending & the director make us believe the lovers of the Artic Cycle will find each other. Do they find each other? You just cant help but direct the movie yourself as u watch it hoping & praying for the lovers until the happy sad ending. Without giving the plot away this is one good movie I have seen yet.Two siblings who are brother & sister but not within prohibited blood consanguinity? yes they part for various reasons & by mishaps & fate they keep missing each other until the very last moment.Its one of the compelling movies U have to own in your collection if u love good love stories not the usually "happily lived everafter" stories our grand mothers read to us in bed when we were kids.

This film is so hard to find anywhere and I felt lucky to come upon it. A cinematic gem! Thank you!

As a Spanish teacher I share this film, among others, with my students (be aware of the age restriction). However, it should have Spanish subtitles...otherwise you only focus on the scripts and miss out the audio...I find it a big mistake.

Spanish screenwriter and director Julio Medem`s fourth feature film which he wrote the screenplay for, was shot in Madrid, Spain and on different locations in Finland. It tells the story about Ana and Otto, two eight-year-old children who coincidentally encounters one another in a forest outside of their school. Otto immediately falls in love with Ana who is still missing her recently deceased father and who chooses to believe that her father has gone on living inside of Otto. Ana and Otto`s lives are strangely intertwined when Ana`s mother Olga and Otto`s father Álvaro falls in love and moves in together. Over the course of time their profound relationship grows stronger and they become lovers, but their emotional bond is disconnected when Otto becomes a pilot and begins to travel between Madrid and the Arctic Circle.This intriguing, fast-paced and finely edited fictional tale about an affectionate, secret and close to telepathic relationship which spans over several years, is a character-driven and plot-driven metaphysical drama. Told through various perspectives which shifts between the two protagonists point-of-view and a brilliant circular narrative reminiscent of those used in the films of Krzysztof Kieslowski (1941-1996), this distinctly directed Spanish-French co-production draws two merging studies of character while examining themes such as coming-of-age, family relations, destiny, grief and love.Julio Medem`s partly autobiographical story about the ambiguous nature of coincidence and love has a distinct visual style and a shifting atmosphere which is reinforced by cinematographer Gonzalo F. Berridi`s beautiful cinematography, Alberto Iglesias` score and the significant use of sound. This geometric and romantic journey through the circumstantial lives of two destined lovers is a compassionately written drama with empathic and engaging acting performances by Spanish actor Najwa Nimri and Spanish actress Fele Martínez. A very moving and memorable love story which gained, among several other awards, the Turia Award for Best Spanish film at the Turia Awards in 1999 and the Audience Award at the Athens International Film Festival in 2000.