There is perhaps nothing more unsettling than the ethnic hatred and violence that is shredding countries in Europe and elsewhere in the world. Many of these tribal rivalries have existed for centuries and show no sign of waning. Trigger-happy youths with machine guns are scary emblems of grievances and hostility passed on from one generation to the next. The love ethic which is at the core of both Christian and Muslim traditions has been superceded by the invidious ethic of an eye for an eye.
Before the Rain is a haunting and riveting film about the ethnic violence that has made Macedonia, a part of the former Yugoslavia, into a war zone. The narrative structure is circular, ending where it began. In the first section, titled "Words," Kiril is a young Macedonian monk who has taken a vow of silence. The routine of his life of spiritual devotion is shattered when Zamira, an Albanian girl who is on the run from gun-toting villagers, seeks refuge in his room. By reaching out to assist her, Kiril's life is unalterably changed.
In "Faces," the scene shifts to London. Anne, who works for a London photo agency, is trying to decide whether she should leave her husband and go away with Aleksander, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer who has gotten her pregnant. The rivalry between Macedonian Christians and Albanian Muslims takes her choice away in the wake of a bloody massacre in the restaurant where she is having dinner with her husband.
In the third section, "Pictures," Aleksander returns to his once peaceful village in Macedonia and finds that his family is involved in a bloody feud with Albanian Muslims. When he tries to act in the name of compassion, the result is swift and shocking.
Before the Rain, which is written and directed by Milcho Manchevski, was nominated for an Academy Award as the Best Foreign Language Film in 1995. Stark, sober, and emotionally affecting, with a towering performance by Rade Serbedzija as Aleksander, it is a soul-stirring indictment of ethnic hatred. This riveting drama makes it clear that the long arm of tribal violence is capable of destroying the tranquility at a 12th century monastery or bringing random death to a faraway restaurant in London. There are no safe places left in a world divided by so many deep-seated hostilities.
Special DVD features include: an audio commentary featuring film scholar Annette Insdorf and director Milcho Manchevski; a video interview with actor Rade Šerbedžija; "Behind the Scenes in Macedonia," a short 1993 documentary about the making of Before the Rain; soundtrack selections featuring the music of Macedonian band Anastasia; on-set footage, theatrical trailers, and stills galleries of production photos, storyboards, and letters; a selection of Manchevski's photography collection street; Manchevski's award-winning "Tennessee" music video; and an essay by film scholar Ian Christie.
