November (2017)

In a poor Estonian village, a group of peasants use magic and folk remedies to survive the winter, and a young woman tries to get a young man to love her.

Director:

Rainer Sarnet

Writers:

Andrus Kivirähk (novel), Rainer Sarnet

Stars:

Rea Lest, Jörgen Liik, Arvo Kukumägi

9 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rea Lest	...	Liina
Jörgen Liik	...	Hans
Arvo Kukumägi	...	Rein
Katariina Unt	...	Luise
Taavi Eelmaa	...	Ints
Heino Kalm	...	Sander
Meelis Rämmeld	...	Jaan
Dieter Laser	...	Baron
Jette Loona Hermanis	...	Baroness
Jaan Tooming	...	Devil
Klara Eighorn	...	Witch
Ene Pappel	...	Imbi
Ernst Lillemets	...	Ärni
Sepa Tom	...	Endel
Tiina Keeman	...	Rosalie

Storyline

"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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

witch | peasant | love triangle | unrequited love | spirit takes physical form | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

facebook page

Country:

Estonia Netherlands Poland

Language:

Estonian German Italian

Release Date:

23 February 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kasim

Filming Locations:

Estonia

Box Office

Budget:

€1,450,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$19,084, 5 April 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Homeless Bob Production, Opus Film, PRPL

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Estonia's submission to the Foreign Language Film Award of the 90th Annual Academy Awards.

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Connections

Referenced in KVIFF Guide: Episode #1.2 (2017)

User Reviews

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.