Lovers of the Arctic Circle

Ana and Otto are soul mates linked by chance, destiny and incredible coincidence, and I'll tell you upfront that it's best to just surrender to this unabashedly melodramatic romantic story of star-crossed lovers that recalls the outsized passions and magical realism of Map of the Human Heart. Ana and Otto first meet as children. Her father has recently died and his parents have separated. When Otto lets fly a paper airplane with a message of love, their respective single parents find it, fall in love and marry. (It's that type of movie.) Arctic Circle follows this fate-tossed couple through their incestuous teen years, and as adults when they separate, only to cross paths again. Taking its cue from the title, events circle back on themselves (you've noticed, haven't you, that Ana and Otto's names are palindromes), revealing fresh perspectives and new meanings. At a time when something as dour as Random Hearts passes for a love story, Arctic Circle is positively exhilarating. Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)[DVD Review—Apr. 4, 2006—Home Vision, 112 min., in Spanish w/English subtitles, R, $19.99—Making its first appearance on DVD, 1997's Lovers of the Arctic Circle features a nice transfer, but no DVD extras beyond the theatrical trailer. Bottom line: although extra-less, this is definitely worth picking up.]