Review of November

Introduction

Photography teacher Courteney Cox`s world descends into a nadir following her boyfriend`s happenstance slaying during a convenience store robbery. She`s reluctant to move on, and perhaps with good reason - photographs from that terrible night have begun showing up in amongst her student`s slides, there are strange voices on the telephone and she`s suffering from nauseating headaches. Is there more to what happened on November 7th than she originally thought? Is someone pulling her into their own twisted set of mind games, or is the emotion of loss driving her mad?

Cue mind-bending and ambiguity.

November is the sophomore effort from Sundance darling Greg Harrison. Shot entirely on digital video for a paltry $300,000, and filmed during Cox`s off-days from hit comedy series Friends, November presents itself as one part homage to the equivocalness of surrealist film-making, and two parts art school love-letter.

Harrison`s second showing at Sundance, November was part of the festival`s Official Selection in 2004, and was greeted with generally favourable reviews from critics - lauded for it`s bold use of DV, vivid cinematography and the acting talent of Courteney Cox

Video

November is undeniably striking in the aesthetic department. The mini-DV visuals probably won`t be to everyone`s taste, but cinematographer Nancy Schreiber has certainly proved that a good eye for light, colour and composition can make up for budgetary restraints. The film is at times both dreary and bright, and both translate well to DVD.

Audio

Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 stereo - pick your poison. November isn`t a particularly `audio` film, so there`s nothing here to test your sound system. The mix on one or two of the tense scenes may clear the cobwebs from your sub.

Features

A trailer. Talk about spoiling us.

Conclusion

November didn`t sit particularly well with me. There are flashes of ingenuity throughout, but these are weighted heavily on the technical side. As a story, Benjamin Brand`s screenplay is far too convoluted and contrived, derivative of David Lynch and his peers - film-makers capable of twisting perception and logic with imagery, and who force us to leave the film with more questions than answers. Running in at a whisker under 80 minutes, November feels dragged out; often like it runs for closer to 3 hours.

Watching November isn`t a wholly wasted experience. Cox`s shift into a meatier role is generally successful, albeit a little under-played. Still, she answers the maligners with an exclamation point and proves herself entirely plausible as a dramatic actress. It`s certainly a pleasure to see her play something other than TV`s Monica Geller.

Harrison`s film is just remarkable enough to earn a place against the bosom of student film-makers and pretentious cine-buffs the world over. Your average film fan, like me, will probably give November`s labyrinthine narrative no more than the slightest of ponderances after the credits roll before moving on to something more original.