Stars a failed rock star and junkie called María (Ariada Gil), who soon she will find herself in a contraband of drugs. One day María meets Rafa (Carlos Fuentes), a younger boy with much clearer ideas than her. Rafa convinces María to steal some heroin, but what seemed like a few grams is nothing less than nine kilos. So she finds a lot of heroin in the false ceiling of a toilet in a filthy bar in Barcelona run by an unpleasant woman (Cristina Hoyos) . Velasco (José Manuel Lorenzo) , an unscrupulous and killer guy who has the support of the police, is the one who has lost the drugs and both of them try to escape from him. Rafa and María undertake a getaway with no return, a trip to a place where life will give them its last chance. Along the way, María falls in love with the common pickpocket without any personal history. They flee to a remote village where his grandmother (Juana Ginzo) lives.
A moving thriller in the wake of a 'road movie' about the typical theme of a couple pursued by smugglers with all the inconveniences, dangers and subsequent murders that take place. This uneven story is made up of three different elements. On the one hand, the peculiar love relationship that is established along the route between some young people who are only interested in drugs and for whom sex does not exist, which works reasonably well. On the other hand, there are the ones that pursue them, the absurd pair of brothers formed by an overacted drug dealer played by José Manuel Lorenzo and his sibling, also evil, played by his real brother Francis Lorenzo, that beyond the usual in these cases, lacks dramatic appeal and is also somewhat unbelievable. And, finally, there is the one of the angelic guardian decently played by veteran Walter Vidarte, apparently in charge of watching the couple, who has enough interest, but is adequately developed. Overall it is acceptable and passable film, but not remarkable, displaying several script deficiencies, and not sustaining the necessary interest.
It is a movie that had some success and critical consideration in the nineties, but showing a skilled Manuel Huerga too interested in aesthetic effects that he does not quite achieve and does not know what they are for in his story: from the anarchic use of transparencies until the filming in Portugal, which is disconcerting because it is not possible to identify where the action takes place. Main actors : Ariadna Gil and the the debuting actor Carlos Fuentes give so-so acting. But the interpreters have serious diction problems, so much so that the film must be seen with subtitles in order to understand what is happening. There's a good support cast with some familar faces, such as: José Manuel Lorenzo, Francis Lorenzo, Walter Vidarte, Juana Ginzo, Iñaki Aierra, Ángel de Andrés López, Marc Martínez, Cristina Hoyos, among others.
En ¨Antarctica¨ excels the colorful cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe which heightens the intrigue and the peculiar environment .Aguirresarobe subsequently would make a prestigious career international, especially in Hollywood, such as: ¨Fright night¨, ¨Vicky Cristina Barcelona¨, ¨The twilight saga: eclipse¨, ¨The road¨ , ¨Poltergeist¨, ¨Blue Jasmine¨ ¨The Goya's Thief¨, ¨The others¨ and many others. Shot on various locations in Barcelona, Catalonia, Madrid, Caxias, Portugal, Alcochete, Setúbal, Torres Vedras, Quiaios, Cascais, Lisbon, Guincho, Cascais, Lisbon, Arrabida, Azambuja, Lisbon,Montijo, Tocha,Cabo Espichel, Sesimbra, Setúbal, Bacarena, Entroncamento, Caparica, Portugal. Adding a lot of attractive songs , such as: Antártida written by John Cale, performed by Dawn Buckholz Avery and Chris Spedding; ¨Pasodoble mortal¨ written by John Cale performed by Michael Weiss and Xavi Mezquita; ¨Antarctica Stars Here¨ music and lyrics by John Cale; ¨Dead or Alive¨ Music and Lyrics by John Cale; ¨Animals at Night¨ Music by John Cale; ¨People Who Died¨ performed by John Cale; ¨El africano¨ performed by Georgie Dann; ¨Come Back Johnny¨ performed by The Meteors; ¨El triunfo (El camino)¨ performed by Las Estrellas de Gracia; ¨Las tres Marías¨performed by Chipén; ¨Perfidia¨ written by Alberto Domínguez; ¨No te entiendo¨ performed by La Banda Trapera del Río. The motion picture was professsionally directed by Manuel Huerga , but being paced in fits and starts and feels disjointed . Huerga is a fine director who has made nice films as Salvador (Puig Antich) (2006) and this Antártida (1995) but he often shoots documentary and TV films such as : Pepe & Rubianes , 14 d'abril Macià contra Companys , Operación Malaya, Cervantes contra Lope, Neruda en el corazón , Miguel Barcelo, among others . Rating Antártida (1995) : 6/10.
