Lovers of the Arctic Circle (review no. 2)

Julio Medem has made several films about the weird ways of fate, and Lovers of the Arctic Circle is his little gem. The lovers in this film go around in circles: the narrative is circular; their relationship spirals out of control; even their names – Otto and Ana – are palindromes, ending up where they started, just like the film. These star-crossed individuals take some time to become a couple, and when they do, their single parents have married each other, making them step-siblings and their relationship necessarily secretive. Once they (fatefully) become separated, they almost meet several times, before a conclusion in the actual Arctic Circle... Not your average love story. A tremendously affecting one though, because this peculiarly tangled plot teases the viewer. At one point, when the plot is slowing, one character gets randomly offered a job as a newscaster. Medem causes confusion so enjoyably that when the credits roll, viewers will be as puzzled as they are satisfied. [Keir Hind]