November Moon , Written & Directed by Alexandra Von Grote REVIEWED BY BARNEY _ TINA November Moon, a war movie with subtitles, left me lukewarm; it is worth viewing while the weather is uninvit- ing. Although potentially a rich tale of a Jewish lesbian who flees Hitler’s Germany, falls in love with a French woman, and hides out after assaulting a Nazi, it is ultimate- ly more thought provoking than moving. The film is most notable for skill in what it does not show. There are no scenes of concen- tration camps, or pools of flow- ing blood, or massive battle charges, or theatrical misun- derstanding between lovers. Wartime abuses emerge in full scope with the use of screams, scars, the motion of falling d e a d , and brief views of the void following a loved one’s death. Post-traumatic reliving emerges through a vivid night- mare sequence in which senso- ry recall stands in for the asso- ciated overt violence. Survival rises as a central theme. The confusion of war is a constant backdrop, mirrored by ambiguities in the film. There are few discrete markers of time or place beyond the _ obvious - of threatened or occupied territory in World War II. The muddle reflects the numbing tumult and unpre- dictability that the residents endure. Each person is in vari- ous degrees of hiding or pre- tense. The love scenes are scarce, brief, and desperate. This paucity of romance may again reflect the grimness of war, but leaves the viewer with little relational context. Characters are barely sketched, revealed instead through their actions. The ambiguity of loyalty, betrayal, and treason appears throughout. Duty to State, or to martial “law”, is at odds with compassionate awareness of another’s humanity. Each person knows, or thinks they know of the other, and bal- ances self-interest with morali- ty. Characters vary in their resultant equations and actions. “Good” and “bad” appear appropriately murky in the context of war. The role of the “news”paper, conscripted by the propaganda machine, provides another take on pretense. Under direction of the military, a writer shapes public opinion through fanning fearand is" initially insulated from any fallout. Prejudice is seen to be, in part, a political construct, and one with deadly consequences. In the context of current attempts to restrict GLBTQ rights, November Moon pro- vides a sobering message of the impact of prejudice in an interpersonal context. November Moon is available from WolfeVideo on May 1. 0 april 2001 OlTl‘1 -25 a full scrvite salon I508 Church St - 802.864.2088 ractic lmBody Healthcarc Fletcheri , , ‘ " ("3-"Z?:?',.._. . Pie-in-the-Sky Farm Bed & Breakfast ~ Dwinell Road Marshfield, VT 05658 (802) 426-3777 fax: 1-802-426-4090 welcome ieins .com www.gieinsky.com Come celebrate your Civil Union or other special event with us at F'ie-in- the-Sky -- a quiet country retreat outside of Montpelier, Vermont. Suite or room available by reservation for the day, week, or weekend, on Channel 14 CHERIE AND YOLANDA Channel 15 Tuesdays and Sundays at 10 pm, Saturdays at 12 am Adelphia 1 IN THE LIFE Vermont Public Television Building Safe Havens April 16 11:30 pm St. Johnsbury WVTB Channel 20 Rutland_WVER Channel 28 Burlington WETK Channel 33 Windsor WVTA‘ Channel 41 Manchester W36AX Channel 36 Bennington 'W53AS Channel 53 This month’s episode includes the story Women in Art where lesbian artist/author Harmony Hammond discusses her book, Lesbian Art in America. In A Different Kind of Camp, activist Jamie Nabozny is the featured. speaker at the “Common Threads” Youth Empowerment Newp Project. The Lens of lohn Dugdale focuses on the work of an I-{IV-positive photographer who has lost 80% of his eye- sight. 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