Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

"Oktober November" or "October November" is an Austrian German-language movie from 2013. It runs for pretty much exactly 110 minutes and is (right now) the most recent work by Götz Spielmann, one of Austria's most successful filmmakers these days, the man behind "Revanche" for example. For his work here, he got some of Austria's most known actors right now, such as von Waldstätten, Strauss, Simonischek and Zeiler. These are joined by Sebastian Koch who most audiences will know from "The Lives of Others". But back to this one here. It is about a talented actress and how she returns to her family when her father is getting pretty sick. The latter is played by the previously mentioned Peter Simonischek and I can't deny that I quite like him, which is maybe also why he gives my favorite performance in here. The film's photo/poster may not be the right choice as it puts too much emphasis on NvW and her character. Yes she is probably the central figure here, but the film also evaluates a whole lot on the other characters and their inner feelings. It is a journey for the protagonist that ends eventually with her hugging her sister. This is probably the complicated relationship that gets the most emphasis during these almost two hours. I think all the actors do a pretty solid job and I am also a bit impressed by von Waldstätten, because I remember not liking her that much in everything I have seen from her so far. But Spielmann sure knows how to get the best of his cast. With him, I do not have a film that really impressed me and that I'd consider among the year's ten finest, but all his works are well-crafted works that tell a pretty convincing story overall. This is also how I would describe this movie here. Yes I do believe it is not a feast to watch during its relatively long runtime and it could have been reduced to 95 minutes perhaps if they had gotten rid of the less significant scenes and moments, but it is not a negative deal-breaker at all. Also at 110 minutes it is a pretty good movie that lives through the relationships between the characters and also through its very convincing outcome in terms of the atmosphere. At times, it is fairly difficult to watch somewhere else, for example during the scene when we see the main character walking away from these church people, which was one of the strongest moments of the film. It's occasionally touching even. There is not really anything bad I could say about this film. It's executed with precision and talent by everybody involved with this project. I think you should see it.

I saw this film at the Rotterdam film festival (IFFR) 2014. A family drama with many ingredients (maybe too many) with ample skeletons in the closet and some axes to grind too. Overall result could be improved by trimming some parts, especially the introduction of the main characters. This trimming suggestion does not so much apply to the scenes where both sisters are waiting around a death bed, since I find it portrayed very well (been there, done that). I can imagine, however, that some people find it a bit too slow and tedious. But it is a perfect moment to relive old (possibly sour) things that happened many years ago.The respective introductions of the two sisters and their respective working environments is well intended, perfectly illustrating the enormous differences, possibly to be construed as something that created a unsurmountable gap between them. A problem is that the introductions cannot be appreciated to their full potential for those who did not read the synopsis beforehand, and thus remain unaware for too long a time of the three main characters (two sisters, and one father) with equal importance for the plot. Similarly, the autumn-related film title is a nice find, but is lost on the average viewer without a proper hint. Anyway, these remarks are only included here as a heads up for future viewers, and not intended to be condescending about the fine end product.All in all, perfectly acted and shot, making good use of the landscapes around the parental hotel. Not all festival visitors were that positive, as it ranked an average 75th place (out of 200) for the audience award.

This film is highly enjoyable as long as it requires a minimum amount of attention, in exchange it offers high levels of (very) good cinema, full of thought-provoking lines which grow inside of the viewer long after watching this subtle and powerful work.No spoilers at all in this review, only a few guidelines to advice you, My Unknown Cinephile: please don't miss this wonderful exposure of human relationships, melted with many questions about life, the kind of ones we always have been asking to ourselves.Settled in a mesmerizing Austria, with a top-notch, great actors who achieve the task of offering deep and human acting at his best. I mean, I really care about the characters, they're not mere talking heads, which is an absolute relief.Of course, I like very much sci-fi movies, also fast paced films with light contents, comedies, et cetera... but such moving films as "Oktober November" are indispensable, unmissable. This is about life, about what the heck we're doing with it.As only good Philosophy achieves, this splendid work of Götz Spielmann serves to ask very good questions, instead of having any answers.Hard and tender, and always sincere. It shows us that life is often a great variety of gray, not everything is black or white.Watch it, rent it, buy it. You won't be disappointed.Thanks a lot for reading this review/feedback. And don't forget to enjoy life, as much as you can. Best wishes!