Ana and Otto are eight years old when they first meet and from that point on their lives are inextricably meshed. Otto's father falls in love with Ana's mother and their adolescence is spent in a mutual adoration. The failure of his parents' relationship leads Otto into a quest for an endless love. Essentially told in flashback, the first person narration swings between Otto and Ana as they each give their versions of the events that have spanned their adolescence and young adulthood. To traverse time Medem incorporates imaginative switches - such as a car braking suddenly which jolts its passengers forward and, when they fall back, they are a few years older and played by different actors - that are beautifully executed.

The first person narration allows the protagonists some partiality but sometimes the reasons for their actions are less than clear. Add to this the occasional dose of Latin magic realism and the viewer is often left floundering. Overall however, Lovers of the Arctic Circle stimulates the imagination delightfully - a relief when one considers what a less creative director would have done with the same story.

Reviewed by Iain Tibbles