Review of Before the Rains

I would not call this a film of love and longing at all. The situation is set up in the opening scenes, then it becomes a story of hard realities with no good choices and no happy endings in the disintegrating Raj. The setting is tribal India, not often depicted in literature or film. Beautiful as one might expect from a Merchant Ivory production; intelligent writing and acting. Rahul Bose's character and acting are especially notable. The arrogant Englishman doesn't come off well in this serious drama. The literary term "naturalism" comes to mind. The characters have no control over forces stronger than themselves, thus the metaphor of the monsoon rains.