The American melodrama Sweet November (2001) repeats in the format of “full meter” the plot of the play of the same name by Herman Rauscher, which was first filmed in the late 1960s. As resounding as the success of the original film was thirty years ago, the remake was just as a flop at the box office. Film critics saw the reason for this in the fact that the modern scheme, when “he and she met strangely and strangely dispersed,” lacked credibility and real attraction between the main characters. The audience of fans of the genre does not agree with this assessment. For them, Sweet November is a take on the melodrama Autumn in New York (2000). Both films are based on a romantic myth that sexual partnership can turn into a bright feeling and change a person for the better.
Characters from “Sweet November”
HE: selfish and narcissistic, obsessed with his work and focused solely on the career of Nelson Moss. A wealthy and respectable businessman excels in marketing. But in relations with women, a pragmatic and boring man has no success.
SHE: charming, unpredictable, eccentric and cheerful Sarah Deaver. A sort of rebel, living extraordinary and following the principle of “here and now.” Engaged in amateur psychology and considers himself an engineer of male souls.
The plot of the melodrama “Sweet November”
Promoting freedom and love, the miracle psychologist chose an original way of treating her patients. In order to show a man the real joys of life, to wrest him out of everyday life and the monotony of life, Sarah starts by no means a platonic and very short romance – exactly for one month. Even when a partner “becomes orphaned”, falls in love for real, offering to marry, he does not want a serious relationship and always says “no”. Miss Deaver’s friend, a certain Chase, teasing her rather strange behavior, began to give Sarah’s partners names according to the names of the months – Mr. January, April, July, etc. Mr. Moss, as the name of the film suggests, got November. The main characters just met not at a psychotherapy session.
While retaking his driver’s license exam, HE turned to a neighbor, who turned out to be SHE, for a clue. Nelson passed the re-examination, and Sarah “flunked”. Feeling a share of his guilt in this, the man could not refuse when the girl asked him to be her driver for some time. Sarah was completely different from other companions of Nelson and literally struck him with her spontaneity, ease, liveliness in communication, frank thoughts and ideas. She took an increased interest in a new acquaintance and persistently initiated several more meetings.
By a strange coincidence, it was at this time that two events took place in Moss’s life. He conflicts with the boss and loses his prestigious job. Returning home, he discovers that the girl Angelica has fled from his luxurious apartment in San Francisco without explanation. The choice is small: either into depression or into a spree. Nelson thoughtlessly agrees to Sarah’s direct and frank offer to spend a month with her “without commitment to each other.”
Every day of November, the relationship of the couple is rapidly developing and becoming more and more sweet. Light and lively, Sarah opens the eyes of narrow-minded and living by the rules Nelson to how you can be able to enjoy everything in the world, and not just build a career and strive to become successful. Realizing that one must live “here and now”, he rejects a new lucrative work contract, and also invites Sarah to become Mrs. Moss.
It seems that a woman is ready to break her rule about dating no longer than a month. In a conversation with Chase, she frankly says that Mr. November is the first time she wants to say yes. However, at the end of the picture, Sara breaks off relations and asks Nelson to leave. Going to meet his requests not to leave, he says that they can be together one more day. The reason for this decision is not clear to the viewer, but it resolves the intrigue that persisted throughout the film: why does Sarah do this, what are these games for?
The meaning of the film is the melodrama “Sweet November”
From Chase, Nelson learns that the girl has not been treated for lymph cancer for almost a year. She decided to live the rest of her life to the fullest. The well-known rampant saying “we live once” terminally ill Sarah reformulates: “we die once, but we live every day.” Wanting to remain in the memory of her beloved happy and beautiful, during the last meeting she blindfolds him. A farewell kiss is accompanied by the words: “If you remember me like this, then now I’m not afraid of anything.” When Nelson removes the bandage, no one is around. Celeste Prince’s song sounds: “The time has come. Break up and leave. To another place. Maybe revolving around some other sun.”
It is not known how Nelson will continue to live, having loved and lost Sarah, who turned his familiar world upside down. One thing is clear – it’s not the same as before. “Proximity to a woman leaves an imprint on a man.” This heartfelt statement of the main character is one of the widely replicated quotes from the melodrama “Sweet November”.
