While the historical scope of From What Is Before is huge, its emotional palette is a bit limited.
From What Is Before(Mula sa kung ano ang noon)
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Philippines · 2014
5h 40m
Director Lav Diaz
Starring Perry Dizon, Roeder, Hazel Orencio, Karenina Haniel
Genre Drama
Add to Watchlist
Please login to add films to your watchlist.
The Philippines, 1972. Mysterious things are happening in a remote barrio. Wails are heard from the forest, cows are killed, a man is found bleeding to death at the crossroad and houses are burned.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
Diaz's From What Is Before is an enthralling, thought-provoking, elegant and tragic wonder.
The Hollywood Reporter by Clarence Tsui
Whereas there are still long takes aplenty, most of them startlingly exquisite, the film feels, for once, very urgent in relaying the faultlines of real Filipino history.
The endless chaos of nature embodies the abstract threat of imminent destruction; by imbuing these shots with a combination of mystical allure and darker possibilities, Diaz creates a haunting atmosphere that makes it possible to absorb the story even when it slows to a crawl.
The fragile interplay of nature and civilization is best expressed in the way Diaz frequently sets the stage for each scene, allowing us to absorb the contours and details of every location before ever so gradually introducing human characters, looking small and ant-like, into the frame.
Users who liked this film also liked
Lisbon Story
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, Portugal • 1994
- Director Wim Wenders
- Cast Rüdiger Vogler, Patrick Bauchau, Teresa Salgueiro, Manoel de Oliveira, Vasco Sequeira, Joel Cunha Ferreira
- Genre Drama, Music
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Mon Oncle
(Mon oncle)
Mr Hulot takes a precious, playful ... and purely premeditated look at modern times...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1958
- Director Jacques Tati
- Cast Jacques Tati, Jean-Pierre Zola, Adrienne Servantie, Lucien Frégis, Betty Schneider, Jean-François Martial
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video
Mulholland Drive
An aspiring actress tries to help a woman with amnesia solve the mystery of her identity.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 2001
- Director David Lynch
- Cast Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller, Dan Hedaya, Brent Briscoe
- Genre Thriller, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Criterion Channel, Showtime Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Avatar
When humans invade a distant planet, a man sent to study the indigenous aliens struggles to choose sides.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2009
- Director James Cameron
- Cast Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi
- Genre Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction
- Available on Disney Plus, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, AMC on Demand
My American Uncle
(Mon oncle d'Amérique)
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1980
- Director Alain Resnais
- Cast Gérard Depardieu, Nicole Garcia, Roger Pierre, Nelly Borgeaud, Pierre Arditi, Gérard Darrieu
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel
Blade Runner 2049
Thirty years later, there's a new blade runner in town.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States, United Kingdom, Hungary • 2017
- Director Denis Villeneuve
- Cast Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Harrison Ford
- Genre Drama, Science Fiction
- Available on Apple TV Plus, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Spectrum On Demand, AMC on Demand
The Favourite
Two cousins compete viciously for the favor of their Queen.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ireland, United Kingdom, United States • 2019
- Director Yorgos Lanthimos
- Cast Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, Mark Gatiss
- Genre Drama, History, Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, AMC on Demand
Joker
A failed stand-up comedian is driven insane, turning to a life of crime in chaos in Gotham City.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada, United States • 2019
- Director Todd Phillips
- Cast Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Shea Whigham
- Genre Crime, Thriller, Drama
- Available on TNT, TBS, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, AMC on Demand
Parasite
(기생충)
A poor family lies and schemes their way into the employ of a wealthy household — successfully, but with great consequences.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2019
- Director Bong Joon-ho
- Cast Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Chang Hyae-jin
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, AMC on Demand
Midsommar
Let the festivities begin.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States, Sweden • 2019
- Director Ari Aster
- Cast Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter, Vilhelm Blomgren, Isabelle Grill
- Genre Horror, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Kanopy