Noviembre

Based on one of the most tragic and complex events in Colombia’s history, the takeover of the Palace of Justice by the M-19 guerrilla group on November 6, 1985, Noviembre presents an acutely political cinematic exercise.

Director Tomás Corredor reconstructs the most intense moments of the siege through fiction, the drama unfolding in a single confined space — a bathroom inside the Palace — and relying on a precise narrative device. The story takes place almost entirely within that one bathroom, where members of the M-19 hold a group of hostages: magistrates, court officials, and administrative and service staff. From this enclosed setting the film escalates in tension, while outside we hear — and feel — the military assault led by the Colombian Army as they attempt to retake the building.

The central figure, Clara Helena (a strong and sensible Natalia Reyes), embodies many of the contradictions of that experience, the despair, conviction, and the fragility of those facing imminent death.

Archival imagery is poignantly woven into the narrative. The explosions shaking the bathroom are echoed by real images of tanks firing missiles at the Palace — the chaos, the voices, the fire all resonate with footage from newscasts and historical records. Its articulation generates a powerful emotional effect.

Noviembre doesn’t attempt to explain everything, and in that choice for containment lies much of its power. This is a painful, taut film, directed with a rare formal and ethical clarity. It is a necessary work that allows us to look at wounds that remain open.

DIANA CADAVID