agmtw logo
search

November (2017)

November (2017)

7.3

Magic comes at a cost in this haunting tragic horror romance

Movie

Estonia, Netherlands
Estonian, German, Italian
Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Romance
2017

TLDR

Honestly, if your crush isn’t willing to marry you to save your entire village from the plague, then it’s just not meant to be, girl. You deserve better.

What it's about

Estonia, 1800s. In the winter, the village tricks the Plague spirit with magic and folk remedies to leave the town alone. The second time they do so, they make a bargain with the Plague to leave a boy and girl alive to continue their village. However, village boy Hans refuses the bargain, for his love for the young German Baroness, much to the disappointment of the farmer’s daughter Liina.

The take

There’s plenty of things happening in folk horror film November. With devils snatching livestock, magical automatons called kratts, and trying to trick the Plague while in the form of a pig, love surely can’t bloom strong in these circumstances. And this would be correct, but the way this tragic romance unfolds is through eerie, yet captivating, black-and-white dream sequences made up bits and pieces of Estonian folklore, and the film shines best when focused on these sequences. The love triangle will be familiar, but the approach, the offbeat humor, and the raw practical effects would be bewitching until the end.

What stands out

The automatons are great, but the physicality Rea Lest-Liik has in transforming into a werewolf was terrifying. Also, check the credits in Wikipedia for the love story that might not have worked out in fiction, but manifested in reality.

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

System Crasher (2019)

A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.

9.0

Cold War (2018)

A quiet Polish masterpiece with ravishing music and dazzling visuals

9.2

Victoria (2015)

Filmed in one continuous take and in real time on the streets of Berlin, ‘Victoria’ immerses the viewer in a heart-stopping drama

9.8

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

A romance from France like no other

8.2

Official Secrets (2019)

Biography of an Iraq War whistleblower

8.0

Head-On (Gegen die Wand) (2004)

This raw, punk drama about a star-crossed love in modern Germany is as timely now as it was when it came out

9.3

Happy as Lazzaro (2018)

A witty Italian comedy

7.5

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

A haunting, magnificently performed courtroom drama that expertly builds an atmosphere of distrust

8.8

The Collini Case (2019)

A very satisfying German legal drama

7.6

Things to Come (2016)

A beautiful, bittersweet portrait of resilience

8.5

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.