"A lavish, beautifully photographed film..."
-Stephen Holden, The New York Times
Read the full review
"A lovely, sweeping film. Stunning!"
-Rex Reed, New York Observer
"Director Santosh Sivan imparts a vastness and a sense of wonder to the film, qualities reminiscent of a Thomas Cole painting."
-Julia Wallace, Village Voice
"A deeply absorbing movie. There is nothing quite like a Merchant Ivory Film."
-Jeffrey Lyons, NBC's "Reel Talk"
"Unforgettable! A hothouse of sensuality, empire, class and guilt."
-Mira Nair
"Beautiful... The movie's intelligence and capacity for surprise keep things exhilarating."
-Karen Durbin, Elle Magazine
"Cool and evocative…"
-David Edelstein, New York Magazine
"A ravishing and breathtakingly beautiful film!"
-Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com
From Cameron Bailey, Toronto International Film Festival
In the south of India in 1937, an Englishman could have his way with the land, the workers and sometimes with the woman of his choosing. Such power could shatter lives, even when exercised by the mildest of men. Acclaimed director and cinematographer Santosh Sivan explores this shock of collision between the forces of will and desire in colonial India.
Henry Moores (Linus Roache) has big plans to establish a spice plantation in Kerala. But his plans require a new road to be cleared through the vast hills, and the money and manpower to do it. To secure the trust of the local villagers, he depends on his right-hand man, T.K. (Rahul Bose). To satisfy his baser needs, he depends on his lover – and house servant – Sajani. Played with fire and intelligence by Nandita Das, Sajani is an irresistible, quicksilver beauty. Their sojourn to collect honey in the forest turns into a charged erotic encounter, but they are witnessed by two local boys – and Sajani has a husband back in her village. How long will it be before her betrayal becomes known?
The risk escalates when Henry’s wife and son arrive from England. Domestic demands rein him in, but Sajani will not be cast aside so easily. Threatened with death in her own village, she presses T.K. for help and Henry for refuge. Henry cannot reveal his infidelity, so he does what any man in his position might have resorted to at the time. Can his power and privilege still protect him?
A sweeping film full of striking vistas, Before the Rains has the look of a fine period epic, but as it binds its characters tighter and tighter within their dilemmas, it reveals the gears of a good film noir. Having made his reputation in Priest, Roache once again excels as a respectable man capable of catastrophic acts. Bose, however, as the local subaltern, is the heart of the film: here is the Indian man navigating all the harsh choices that came with colonization.
-Cameron Bailey, Toronto International Film Festival
Official Selection
Toronto International Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
Pusan Film Festival
Dubai Film Festival
Houston WorldFest
Winner! 3 Awards!
Best Picture
Best Cinematography- Santosh Sivan
Best Music- Mark Kilian