November(2005)- User Reviews

Everything must come circle and be resolved, like a jigsaw puzzle being pieced together, all of its spare parts becoming one giant picture or we as an audience feel cheated. That is to be expected. But despite the major flaw that nothing is explained and all barely makes sense, expected to be captivated and intrigued by a stylish shooting sense and a delightfully inquisitive premise. I am surprised that in spite of this I liked "November," and I'm sure I'm not alone. The writer toys with your imagination, throwing out tiny glimpses that soon do piece together, but explanations are for another movie. Courtney Cox-Arquette is devastated when her boyfriend dies in a convience store shootout. But then strange things start to happen, flickers as the world between fantasy and reality, between psychosis and delusions and the grounded world are torn apart. She sees blood spattering on a lightbulb. Pictures of that night and that store turn up in her photography slides. Is this a joke? Does someone know something she does not? Is his killer in the room with her? She takes the pictures to the police, trying to find out who took the picture. Finally the answer comes around: It was her. She took the pictures of the shooting that night. But she was safe in the car. How could this be? We watch as she literally (as in, words appear on the screen) goes through the five stages of grieving after her boyfriend dies. In the end, the flickers all fit together, though not with answers, and our brains feel teased, toyed with, and we all feel a bit smarter for it. But that is, essentially, "November," smart, stylish, atmospheric, and like a puzzle maze for the mind, an exercise where things need to be explained, and we're all kept guessing.