Before the Rain, as noted by critic Richard B. Woodward, is a cinematic mobius strip, a band severed and reconnected with a twist, seeming to run continuously, and always coming back to the same point – or, in the case of this movie, almost the same point.
The movie’s key message seems to be that long-standing cultural differences in Macedonia (and the Balkans in general) between Muslim and Christians, long held in check by strong central governments, but made worse by hard economic times, are about to explode. According to the author, Milcho Manchevski, “Before the Rain refers to the feeling of heavy expectation, when the skies are pregnant with the possibility of an outburst, when the people are silent, waiting for a tragedy of cleansing." One wonders if he’s concerned about “ethnic cleansing?”
As I noted in the Group Discussion, the story would have us believe that the opposing religious group is the enemy, but with the deaths of Zamira and Aleks -- people from their own religion -- (and close family members) killed them. I would argue they were both killed because they both (Zamira and Aleks) literally and figuratively turn their backs on their own cultures.
Its interesting, too, that Aleks may have done this because of his concern for Zamira, who might be his daughter (that point is never explained.) Zamira, on the other hand, just wants to escape the confines of her own culture.
I found Keith Brown’ analysis thorough and presented a larger context. Brown noted that Macedonia has not been victim to the sort of ethnic conflict generally associated with the Balkans. With regard to Macedonian audiences seeing the movie, he wrote, “...they were aware they were watching a potential future, rather than an account of what was happening.” Brown also looked at the movie as an anthropological artifact that may be important to understanding how new people, the Macedonian’s, view themselves.
Reading the other reviews was less rewarding: Richard Woodward’s review in The Village Voice was really a “celebrity” piece about the author, focusing on a new star and how he had become a star. John Simon’s review was an egotistical trip, guilty all the sins he found so obnoxious in the movie pretentiousness, factual incorrectness on important details, and unencumbered by a theme. (I think psychologists call that process, "projection": seeing your own faults in others.)
Where is a good movie critic when you need one?
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3 comments:
Great review Walt--while, as you note, it is never explained in the film, I am convinced that Zamira is indeed Aleks' daughter. Jeff
I've been waiting for your comments, Walt, and glad to see that you got a hold of Before the Rain. Are y'all discussing it in your group? No one in my group has been able to find a copy. It's been a while since I saw the movie, but I was impressed with the 3 sequences and how they interconnect and keep us wondering how the characters come together as enemies, lovers, family. There may have been some sloppy disregard of how time works, or at least appears to work (I would really like to see this movie again to look into that), but I don't care. I like looking at these films as art and then as history. A main point of our objective is seeing the contemporary world through film. My eyes are wide open now.
Lisa wrote:
I like looking at these films as art and then as history. A main point of our objective is seeing the contemporary world through film. My eyes are wide open now.
That's my approach, as well, Lisa.
(I just bought copies of all the films from Amazon.com, used. Its almost as cheap as Netflix. Many of these films aren't availabe in DVD format, yet...)
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