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Before the Rain
Directed by Milcho Manchevski, 1994

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Spring 2001
Film Festival

Tuesday, January 30

Before the Rain Directed by Milcho Manchevski, 1994

Time never dies. The circle is not round.

 

Below you will find a number of questions and information about Before the Rain. Please consider these as an outline for Wednesday's discussion. A word of caution: reviews are often more subjective than academic criticism, and ought to read with some circumspection.

1. In "Who Will Take the Blame?", a critical commentary on post-Yugoslav film directors, Peter Krasztev states about Manchevski's film

If this were the case it seems to imply that the "circle" is indeed round. Do you agree with Mr. Krasztev's position? Furthermore, is there any way to link this with Andric's novel?

3. Key events take place off-screen and the chronology of the film is somewhat unclear, even radically distorted at times. Discuss in which instances this takes place and the motives the director may have had in leaving parts of the film ambiguous.

4. Various incongruous images are juxtaposed throughout the film; for example, the main character carries a bright yellow SEE/BUY/FLY bag through the ancient streets of his home village, or in another scene one of the men listens to the Beastie Boys.

5. The West is presented throughout the film in various ways. What is the irony or importance of globalization and commercialism in the film? How does the London part fit in with the rest of the film?

6. The director, in an interview with Andy Spletzer, states that "one important theme to me is watching, observing, being a passive participant." How does the director address the issue of passivity in the film?

7. The role of the artist--in this case, the photographer --comes into question in the film. What does the filmmaker seem to be saying in this context? And, to extend this discussion, what can we say about the filmmaker's role?

8. "Before the Rain has been billed as "a love story told in three parts." Explain why you would agree or disagree with this interpretation in a film where hatred may seem dominant.

9. Language is used minimally by the director or shown problematic as a means of communication. Symbolism thus has a dynamic role in the film. Discuss the role of symbolism in the film.

More on "Before the Rain" can be found by following the links below:

Balkan Page of Institute for Global Communications

Virtual Macedonia: Before the Rain-Chronology of a Success

INTERVIEW WITH OSCAR NOMINEE MILCHO MANCHEVSKI (3/95)

by Roger Ebert

Other Reviews

http://desires.com/1.3/Perf/docs/rain.html

http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/b/before_rain.html

http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1995/03/969362.html

http://www.1worldfilms.com/before_the_rain.htm

http://www.farsarotul.org/nl17_5.htm

MILCHO MANCHEVSKI was born in Skopje, Macedonia in 1959. While a student of Art History and Archeology at the University in Skopje, Manchevski attended a lecture given by Professor Richard Blumenberg of Southern Illinois University. With the help of professor Blumenberg, Manchevski enrolled and received a scholarship to the Illionois university, graduating from the Department of Cinema and Photography in 1982. Though honored in Belgrade for his experimental films "1.72" in 1985 and "1.73" in 1986, Manchevski first became known in the U.S. for his music videos, winning both MTV and Billboard's award for Best Rap Video in 1992 with the direction of Arrested Development's "Tennessee." In 1994, Manchevski filmed his first feature, the highly acclaimed "Before the Rain," for which he also wrote the original story and screenplay. In addition to directing, Manchevski is also a published writer and photographer. His next feature film, "Dust" which takes place in both the U.S. and Macedonia, is scheduled for release in early 2001.

The information found on this page has been in large part compiled by Richele Brafford '01. The site is maintained by Richele and Todd Armstrong. All materials are intended solely for academic purposes.

Last modified: January 24, 2001.

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