Lovers Of The Arctic Circle review

Julio Medem's tragic romance embraces destiny, coincidence and chance in its tale of two step-siblings who embark upon an illicit affair right underneath their parents' noses. Otto and Ana first meet as children when his dad and her mum start dating. Close proximity (adjacent schools, adjoining bedrooms) eventually translates into love, but no sooner have they consummated their desire than Otto inexplicably leaves home.

Beginning with grainy footage of a plane crash at the North Pole and alternating between the lovers' contrasting viewpoints as they stumble towards a continually thwarted reunion, the outcome is never in doubt, though it does take an unexpected form.

Nimri and Martinez are evenly matched as the palindromic protagonists, but in the end the director's vision of a world governed by blind luck and cruel fate is too esoteric to attract anything more than a niche audience.