Author: Bell, Silvia M.

Source: Projections, Volume 1, Number 1, Summer 2007 , pp. 75-90(16)

Abstract:

Circularity, a salient theme in the film Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1999), is explored as a symbol that points to a consideration of issues central to psychic life. The movie sets up an expectation—two lives will be brought together to recreate a former blissful union, and complete a circle that defies finality, separation, and loss. It succeeds in creating a dialectic between two tensions, the experience of separateness where each person is a circle unto oneself, and the longing to be encircled with an "other" in a union that promises safety and permanence. The wish for fusion versus merger with the loved one is discussed in the context of traumatic loss and soul blindness. These early experiences interfere with healthy mourning and determine the reliance on magic and regressive compromise that contributes to a tragic outcome.

Keywords: attachment; fantasy; fusion; merger; mourning; separateness; soul blindness; trauma

DOI: 10.3167/proj.2007.010106

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