Few recent films have been as weirdly entrancing as Rainer Sarnet’s dark, fractured fairy tale, based on a 2000 novel by Andrus Kivirähk and set in an impoverished Estonian village presided over by a cadaverous German baron. The locals are a lazy, greedy lot, who horde their meager treasures and dicker with the nearby forest-dwelling Devil to animate “kratts”—contraptions composed of twigs, bones, and bits of metal—to do their bidding (like stealing a neighbor’s cow), in exchange for their own souls. The villagers also consort with witches, are sometimes visited by the spirits of the dead (with whom they converse and share meals), and scramble to avoid being killed by the plague, which arrives in the form of a beautiful woman who can transform into animals such as goats and pigs. But the central narrative focuses on a romantic quadrangle: Liina (Rea Lest) pines over Hans (Jörgen Liik), although she is betrothed to a grungy old farmer. Hans, meanwhile, is enamored of the baroness, and constructs a snowman kratt to help him win her (to add to the confusion, both women are apparently also werewolves). Sarnet and his cast of actors with unforgettable faces play all of this out in quasi-surrealist style, the strangeness accentuated by luminous black-and-white camerawork. November is obviously not directed to a mainstream audience, but more adventurous viewers will appreciate its bold vision and grimly humorous approach. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)
November
Oscilloscope, 115 min., in Estonian & German w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $34.99, Blu-ray: $39.99, May 29 Volume 33, Issue 4
November
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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