Photos by Gabriela Liivamägi
REVIEW
Novembe Rainer Sarnet’s November is a brave feat, just like its archetype novel, Andrus Kivirähk’s Rehepapp, was a brave feat for the way it approached our local mythology.
T November by Tõnu Karjatse First published in Eesti Ekspress 38
ESTONIAN FILM
he story of Rehepapp – the Old Barney – has become a sort of national epic for the re-independent Estonian and the source of one of our most prominent memes – the idea of being a Rehepapp denotes being clever and able to remain self-serving in the face of cultural and economic subordination. DIRECTOR SARNET builds his own story out of Kivirähk’s mythology while keeping most of the novel’s well-known elements and characters intact. Sarnet’s focus
Ink Big! The critics have done their job
moves from the old, clever Rehepapp character to the youngsters, thus turning his attention from the novel’s motifs of survival and coping by manipulating underworld creatures to problems of love and longevity. In this way, Sarnet is aiming at higher spheres than Rehepapp’s search for material gain, reinforced by the symbolic, mystical scenes of Christ bleeding on the crucifix – ones not found in the novel. Sarnet’s November is a love story with elements of fantastical, rogue comedy and roots deep in the national subconscious. The mental imagery of our wet, cold