***spoilers***spoilers***Some movies can make you cry while you're watching them, but few of them can even make you cry every time you think of them. For me, 'Before the Storm' belongs to the latter category. Yet, this heartbreakingly sad movie has one scene that is much more thrilling than most thrillers, and the joke about 'Kurosawa' is one of the most memorable lines in my memory.
'Before the Storm' poses very interesting questions about violence and moral dilemmas. Many characters in this film seem to do something wrong, but apart from Danne, can we actually call what Ali, Leo, the Courier, and Johan Sander do as totally wrong? They might do wrong things, but they have their own reasons. This movie seems to ask the viewers that if were put into these four characters' shoes, what would we decide to do? Would we decide to act differently if we were in the same dire situations as them? Ali and Leo face one of the most difficult choices in the world. If a young boy as Leo hadn't done what he did in this movie, the other choice he might have resorted to is committing suicide. It's up to each audience to decide for themselves if what Ali does is wrong or right. What this movie perfectly achieves is to make us understand very well why these characters do such a thing.
Not only the 'decision-making' of the characters that is worth pondering, some scenes also leave interesting questions in our mind. For example, the scene when the father and mother of Leo teach Leo about violence. Yet, Leo's father works in the truck plant. Does he know that he might be responsible for mass violence? From the conversation between the Courier and Ali, we can assume that her organization used to distribute leaflets about the military use of the trucks to the public, but that method couldn't stop Sander. That leads to another interesting question in the movie: if the converting of the trucks is no secret, why are the public only concerned about the loss of their jobs? Why are they not concerned about the loss of people's lives in other countries? Are we too interested in earning money for our families that we try to forget or ignore the fact about our 'indirect' roles in this kind of cruelty?
Another great thing about 'Before the Storm' is that it shows us the consequences of characters' actions. And consequences often come as a surprise to the characters. After Leo forced Danne to say an obscene word, Sara uses that exact word to call Leo. After Ali told Leo some sentences that influence Leo's decision, Leo repeats those sentences to Ali at the exact moment that would affect Ali's decision. Ali makes an arguably noble decision in the hospital, but considering the consequences, is his noble decision the right decision? 'Before the Storm' reflects the real world where the most villainous characters (Danne and Sander) are the survivors, and the most innocent characters (Ali's ex-wife and son) suffer the most.
In my opinion, the hospital scene and the ending scene are truly classic. During the thrilling hospital scene, I forget breathing and my heart pounds heavily. The thrill comes partly because of the music, and because we somehow identify ourselves with Ali in this extremely dangerous situation. We can't help imagining we were Ali, and asking ourselves what exactly we should do to Sander, to the bodyguard, to the Courier, to her grandchild, and most importantly, to Sander's father?
Because we feel so much involved in Ali's decision-making, the thrill comes not only because we fear that Ali might be in danger, but also because we fear that Ali might decide to bring danger to other characters. Thrilling scenes are effective if they can make the viewers feel as if they are not only the 'observers' of the scene, but also the 'participants' in the scene. Most thriller movies are not as thrilling as this scene in 'Before the Storm', because in most thrillers' climax scenes, we know exactly who is the villain and who is the innocent, who should be punished and who should be rewarded. The villains in other movies are so bad that the hero (and the viewers) never has any doubt in his (or our) mind(s) whether the hero should do the killing or not.(It is worth noting that Arnold Schwarzenegger is mentioned in 'Before the Storm'.) In those movies, the viewers can be sure that the hero will do only good things and we can decide very easily that the villains should be killed. Thus, the thrill in other movies relies on what the hero will do to get rid of the villains, whereas the thrill in 'Before the Storm' relies on whether the hero will kill or help the so-called villains, which villain he should help, and whether the hero is as evil as the villains and the villains are as innocent and pitiable as the hero. These questions apply to the conflict between Danne and Leo, too. This movie might be one of the most difficult movies for the viewers to decide whether the child protagonist (Leo) should be punished or rewarded. It's not the physical action, but it's the moral ambiguity behind the physical action that makes the hospital scene in 'Before the Storm' the most thrilling scene in my memory. Moreover, this scene might be the only thrilling scene that can make me cry at the same time. And I cry because of that face--the face of Sander's father lying on the floor, begging for his son's life. I even cry as I'm writing this down. This face will keep on haunting me for a long time.
The ending scene confirms this film as one of my most favorite films of all time. The strength of the ending scene relies on its marvelous editing, and I'm not even sure that what I saw in the ending scene is what really happens in the story or a part of it is a dream. In the ending scene, the narrative style differs a lot from the preceding scenes. There is no continuity of time and place. Fragments of various characters' lives are mixed and edited in such a way that has a tremendous impact on my emotion. Moreover, this ending scene can manage to tell the conclusion of so many characters' lives in very few minutes, and a lot of twists are in this scene. I cry a lot when the camera focuses on the hand of Ali's wife and hands of other characters, when I see Danne is alive, when Leo departs from his family, and particularly, when the bodyguard discovers that the Courier's grandchild is alive. How can Reza Parsa come up with a scene so emotionally powerful like this? I have never seen a scene like this in other movies before. This is a perfect ending, narratively and emotionally.
Minor characters also lend great charm to the movie, including Sara and Leo's mother, and particularly the Courier and the anti-Kurosawa little girl. Tintin Anderzon is perfect as Leo's mother. Sasha Becker can show how much Sara likes Danne by just using a glimpse from her meaningful eyes. The Courier surprises me with her talent as a spy. She can appear any minute, without warning, in any place or any situation. This character wouldn't look out of place at all if she appears in superb spy action/drama films such as 'La Femme Nikita'. My only disappointment is that she is defeated too easily, considering her great spying talent. One thing worth noting is that one fast-food chain plays an indirect part in her demise. Is the director trying to say that the Courier's mistake is letting her grandchild too immersed in consumerism? The little girl is an unforgettable character even though she might be on screen less than 5 minutes. She is not involved in the main plot, but in an interesting subplot concerning chains of unrequited love. Her role might be small, but poignant. Her happiness when she is together with Leo lasts very briefly. Something she says indicates that she hopes to be with Leo again, but she might have to wait forever, as the ending song suggests.
It's hard to find other movies to compare with such a superior film as 'Before the Storm'. The only one I can think about is Antonia Bird's 'Priest'. While these two movies are totally different in many ways, they are as moving and bring as many tears to my eyes. More importantly, the understanding and sympathy between Ali and the harassed boy in the bus scene reminds me of the understanding and sympathy between Father Greg and the harassed girl in 'Priest'.
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