Adaptation of an Estonian novel, it is a fine, subtle, inspired mix of fairy tale, magic and pagan community. A fascinating meeting of love, stealing and forbidden secrets. Embroidery of dark humor and poetry and high sensitivity. Impressive cinematography, it is not surprising but real well crafted. Short, just an Estonian gem.
Plot summary
"November" is based on Estonian novel "Rehepapp" by Andrus Kivirähk, a bestseller of the last twenty years. The film is a mixture of magic, black humor and romantic love. The story is set in a pagan Estonian village where werewolves, the plague, and spirits roam. The villagers' main problem is how to survive the cold, dark winter. And, to that aim, nothing is taboo. People steal from each other, from their German manor lords, and from spirits, the devil, and Christ. To guard their souls, they'll give them away to thieving creatures made of wood and metal called kratts, who help their masters by stealing more. They steal even if their barns are already overflowing. Stealing is an obsession that makes the villagers more and more like the soulless creatures they command, the kratts. The main character of the film is a young farm girl named Liina who is hopelessly and forlornly in love with a village boy named Hans. Her longing makes the girl become a werewolf and jump into an ice-cold pond. She's ready to die in the name of love. The pragmatic farmers are faced with a question: is the life that they've won through so much toil worth anything, if it lacks a soul? Estonian pagan and European Christian mythologies come together in this film. Both mythologies look for a miracle; for an ancient force that gives one a soul. This film is about souls - longing for a soul, selling your soul, and living without a soul.
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a gem
Selection of the ...
Month? I did not search why the director chose this title. But I do know that he is the current flavor of the month for horror fans with his current movie Midsommar, which I will be watching sometime in the hopefully near future (no release in Germany yet as far as I know, also a longer cut has been confirmed for disc release).
Having said, back to this, which is quite a strange movie. And that is putting it mildly. There are a lot of crazy stories that urge and really need the viewer to be quite open minded. Do you believe in the occult/magic and have a soft spot for fantasy and horror? Well if you do, this is a movie for you. Generally I do not write many things about the story, because I try to avoid spoilers ... in this case I wouldn't even know where to begin ... Has to be watched to be believed ... and even then ...
Mishmash
A not very coherent mishmash of Estonian unrequited love; witches; supernatural; folklore/myth; the devil; werewolves all very loosely connected to each other. You really don't see much, if any, of the above - just suggestive through a few props (Kratts - explained in a moment),makeup, and suggestive scenes in counterpoint to each other. The best part was the very believable, gritty, dirty, raw portrayal of peasant life. No, the best part were these brought to life assemblages of branches or farm implements to form a somewhat living thingy (a Kratt). Very realistic (except I think I saw a support line at one point),and actually scarier than any CGI creature I've seen. One of the creatures reminded me of Picasso's "Bull's Head". Another movie featuring these creatures would be creatively scarier than hell.