November

The Grimm Brothers on acid! That would be one way to summarise Rainer Sarnet's November. This cinematic fever dream revels in traditional European folklore, which it combines with stunning and critically acclaimed black and white photography.

The scene is set in an Estonian village a long, long time ago: Here, alongside the mud and the scrawny cows, the plague is raging. Meanwhile werewolves lurk in the darkness, and the greedy peasants do everything in their power to entrench themselves against the brutal winter. The young Liina lives with her father and his fearsome «kratt» – a demonic creature made up of old tools and animal bones and brought to life with the help of the devil himself. Liina is out to win the affections of stable boy Hans – whatever the cost may be. November is a cryptic, pitch-black and thoroughly ungodly affair with imagery that is so beautiful it makes the angels sing.

«A gorgeously shot, deeply strange, hugely atmospheric black-and-white trip though a tale of magic and malice in folkloric rural Estonia.» – Variety.com