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I have never seen a movie from Macedonia. That’s why I was quite looking forward to this piece. In its three short stories, the movie depicted everyday lives of three different people, expertly combining them into a single framing story. If you are able to imagine the Balkans in its harshest form, brace yourself for Before the Rain. Nevertheless, even bracing yourself might not be enough. (2014.11.28)

Before the Rain is not primarily about war, but rather about how it mentally affects everyone involved, including immigrants living in relative safety. It suffers from a certain unevenness and is certainly not one of the best European films of the 90s, but due to the burning topic of the Balkan war, it is a film worth seeing. Of the three stories, I liked the first one the most, where the attractive Labina Mitevska made her debut in the role of Albanian girl Zamira. The love affair between two religiously and ethnically divided teenagers in the backdrop of an Orthodox monastery, and also at a time when tension and hatred are growing every day, if not every hour, is worth a separate movie. Overall impression: 75%. (2008.11.30)