November, Rainer Sarnet, 2017
- Crafty Goblin
- Mar 13
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 22
November is a fantasy folk Horror movie Based on Andrus Kivirähk's 2000 novel Rehepapp ehk November. An interesting mix between anti fairy tale, dark folk, paganism and twisted romance. A slow paced masterpiece perfectly realized with a top notch black and white contrasted aesthetic. Dark humor, poetry and paganism in a greatly crafted film.
The story takes place in 19th Estonia, in a village inhabited by personified black death, spirits, werewolves and even the devil. The villagers are driven only by the need to survive the harsh winter, and nothing is too bad to reach their goals. They steal from each other, sell their souls and make deal with Plague, devils and spirits. Even when the pantry is full to the brim, the need to steal remains. In the middle of this, a young woman tries to get a young man to love her by witchcraft means.
It's not everyone cup of tea, but it's definitely mine. This kind of black and white surrealism aesthetic and twisted dark poetry mixed with horror folk and dark humor always works for me. The acting is good, really good, fitting the weird vibes of the movie. It's eerie and moody, with a perfect classic soundtrack, and a good balance between Eastern Folklore and rural life depiction.
It's absurd, moody, twisted, funny, surreal and unique while still using the codes from folk Horror from Murnau to Eggers and all the others in between. Everything is perfectly crafted and balanced to render a visual art piece rather than just a plain movie.
Director : Rainer Sarnet
Main cast : Rea Lest, Jörgen Liik, Arvo Kukumägi
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