happimnky I am interested in finding out where (online preferably. that ships internatioanlly as I am based in Manila, Philippines) I can purchase the DVD of this movie (Noviembre by Achero Manas). I have emailed the producers/distributors in Spaon and I haven't received any replies. Help! I am not particular whether the DVD has English subtitles or not (as I speak and understand Spanish). I would like to have a Spanish subtitled option though, as I plan to study the dialog of the movie. Any comments/suggestions or just pointers would greatly help. I donot believe in nor do I practice the downloading of movies via the net, so please, only legitimate suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

Harry T. Yung SpoilersNoviember is quite a unique piece of work that I caught in the 'Euro Vision' festival in town. Very much like Into the Void, in documentary form, the story is told by alternating between the main story line and the interview-type narration of the characters some years later (about a half dozen of them compared with 2 in Into the Void). But hang on for a second……..these character are not real! The story is entirely fictional, but made to look like a documentary.The story starts with young actor Alfredo arriving in Madrid for adventure in the late 90s (which makes the 'now' in the movie somewhere in the 2030s or 2040s, guessing from the age of the 'real' characters interviewed). There, he meets Lucia who soon becomes his wife. When discussing their initial motivation for acting, Alfred intimates that it's to a large extent out of love for his wheelchair-confined brother, from both physical handicap and mental disorder. Lucia, on the other hand, attributes it to sibling rivalry, kind of the 'Baby Jane' syndrome.Together with a group of friends who share the same passion for acting, the two embark on their venture. The unique thing is that in their vision to bring the theatre to the public, they shun any indoor performance venue which would imply an admission ticket. They do all their performances outdoors, right in the streets, and they steadfastly refuse to accept any money for their performances. The movie follows this group's performances which are presented in pseudo-documentary style, complete with fictitious dates, in the streets of Madrid, culminating in a unexpected and quite devastating ending. Between hilarity and poignancy, and everything in between, this movie has a great deal to offer. A fascinating movie, particularly if you love performing arts. It won the FIPRESCI prize in the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival.

jotix100 Never read anything about this film, so when it showed on cable, I decided to see it. The idea of making theatre in the streets seemed an interesting idea. To bring drama to the masses, in that environment, is to be commended.Approaching Achero Manas' picture, without having any background to the history behind it, doesn't make much sense to an ordinary viewer. Maybe to audiences in Spain, it might resonate, or at least, given the publicity surrounding some of its most daring pieces, they could bring a proximity, which to me, seemed illusive, at best.First of all, the group, as I gathered, was active in Madrid in the past. We see Alfredo organizing his troupe of actors, then we are given glimpses of some of their work in the center of the city. The director brings another dimension by adding an explanation as to why things worked, or didn't, and its ultimate demise, by presenting actors, mostly in their 50s or older, talking directly to the camera telling us about their experiences when they were young. If we are to believe them, it would have put the action as having taken place in the 60s, in a Spain where Franco still dominated and most of the actions of the Noviembre group would not have occurred, and not in the recent past. If the director wanted to add this sort of device, he would have achieved more reality by presenting the same actors we see, throughout the film, as part of the Noviembre group, doing the explanations.Some of the Noviembre theater pieces aren't even interesting! One wonders what was the big deal about them. Maybe the fact that it was never done in Spain? In other western countries, where street performances happen on a daily basis, these performances they did, seem very tame and pointless. Only their piece about the assault to apparently innocent bystanders have any real punch, the rest, doesn't amount to much.Unfortunately this Spanish film seems to have been made for only a few, that knew the in joke, not for the rest of us outside of Spain.

laura_cachi This is one of the most surprising films I have ever seen and the acting is just amazing.The story of the idealistic Spanish street theater group "November" is really touching and a mixture of fiction and documentary.The scenes of street theater in Madrid are wonderful, the actors turn metros and shopping streets into a playground for their acts and I enjoyed the idea of interaction of with the audience.Furthermore, the message of the film will make you think about the meaning of art: a business, a hobby, a life style... and about the extremely individualistic and materialistic society that the film reflects. Only by watching it you will understand that art is a way of changing this world and that youth is not passive.I strongly recommend "November" because is that kind of films that helps you to understand yourself and the world. And I like to finish with the last sentence of the film said by one of the actresses: "We wanted to change the world, we failed miserably. Now I just try to not let the world change me"