November

Impeccably designed and crafted psychological study appears at first to be in an artistic disarray, yet the filmmakers' strategy is very clever and they have put together an excellent--if brief--thriller about living in a state of limbo. A young photography teacher experiences a night in November within three different frameworks, each with much the same detail but a different outcome in the scenario. It's impossible to criticize the minutiae since the movie's agenda isn't made clear until the finish, but some of the plot-points can be frustrating (such as the photo of a mysterious hand under a market bin, or a police investigator carping about not getting a clear look at a convenience store robber when the store itself had four security cameras going). Nevertheless, the well-chosen cast, particularly Courteney Cox in the lead, is flawless and the mood music and arty cinematography--while at times overstated--is haunting. *** from ****