BEFORE DAWN is a very strange short film because it is all shot in very distant shots. You only see people and action occurring at a great distance and the exact plot is vague, though you assume it's all about illegal aliens and human trafficking. Because of this, the film is excessively cold and distant and it's tough to care about the movie at all. Yet, despite these obvious flaws and missing pieces in the narrative, this film has been honored repeatedly in a variety of film festivals. I just don't get it. The film called for many extras, a helicopter and lots of vehicles...yet its impact was minimal because of its odd style.
By the way, this film is part of the CINEMA 16: European Shorts DVD. On this DVD are 16 shorts. Most aren't great, though because it contains THE MAN WITHOUT A HEAD, COPY SHOP, RABBIT and WASP, it's an amazing DVD for lovers of short films and well worth buying.
