Based on Andrus Kivirähk’s novel Rehepapp ehk November (Old Barny aka November), November takes place in 19th century Estonia. It begins with a kratt appearing. The kratt is kind of like the Warbound in D&D, as its a collection of hay and old household implements powered by the Devil (Jaan Tooming) and three drops of blood. The kratt steals a cow for a villager named Raak (Arvo Kukumägi), who has tricked Satan by giving him three drops of dark berries instead of the blood that is part of his soul.

There’s so much going on in this village, like the Plague descending as a young woman and then a pig, who makes a deal with Sander, an elder, to allow Liina (Rea Lest-Liik) and Hans (Jörgen Liik) to live. But then the pig is killed while swearing on a Bible. Liina is in love with Hans but has basically been sold in a drunken deal with the pig farmer Edsel, while Hans is obsessed with a sleepwalking Baroness (Jette Loona Hermanis). Liina — also a werewolf — gets a magical arrow from a witch, as she wants to kill the rich girl to win over Hans, but can’t bring herself to do it.

The supernatural becomes a way for nearly everyone to attempt to find their doomed love and make it true. Hans sells his soul for a kratt that regales him with stories of love before melting down into the snow, leaving behind a ring that he uses to propose to the Baroness, who turns out to be Liina in disguise. As for the Baroness, she’s sleepwalked to her death. As the kratt melts away, the Devil returns to snap Hans’ neck. Now, two funeral processions make their way through the village.

Liina drowns herself in the river, bringing gold to all of the villagers, who leave her a necklace, the perfect gift for a virgin bride. Before she passes on, she kisses Hans one more time and says, “Oh, yes. Just what a virgin bride dreams of.”

Director and writer Rainer Sarnet has created a black and white world where the rich mock the poor with their manor homes and gold altars, as the put upon hire a witch (Klara Eighorn) to do their bidding. The villagers are able to trick the devils that befoul them once or twice — like wearing their pants on their heads — but the next time, the next person, well they’re not so lucky. No one wants to work and their kratts fulfill their labors, but they’re secretly deadly or unlucky to everyone.

Even though this is a magical realism film set in another world, I couldn’t help but see so much of real life here.

Novemberis part of the new Severin box set, All the Haunts Be Ours Volume 2. It has extras including a video essay by John DeFore Kratt, test footage, a trailer and the short films Boundary, Journey Through Setomaa and Midvinterblot.

You can order this set from Severin.