Feature Friday: “Loves of the Arctic Circle” (1998)

God, I love this film. It’s so beautiful and sad and bittersweet. For a while it was impossible to find here in the States; I had a Pal copy from the UK that I no doubt paid too much for. Even after Julio Medem had a big hit with Sex and Lucia (2001), Lovers didn’t get a proper US release. But now it’s up (with English subtitles) at YouTube; the world must be getting better.

Some people think mimetic realism and artifice are opposed to one another. They’re not, and this film demonstrates why.

Lovers of the Arctic Circle (Los amantes del circulo polar) (1998)

Written and directed by Julio Medem

Enjoy!

A. D. Jameson is the author of five books, most recently I FIND YOUR LACK OF FAITH DISTURBING: STAR WARS AND THE TRIUMPH OF GEEK CULTURE and CINEMAPS: AN ATLAS OF 35 GREAT MOVIES (with artist Andrew DeGraff). Last May, he received his Ph.D. in Creative Writing from the Program for Writers at UIC.

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