The first part of the movie called “Words”, which reveals itself to actually be the end of the movie, takes place in a Macedonian monastery. This is where we meet Kiril, an Orthodox Christian monk, who has taken a vow of silence. Kiril is a very devoted young man who appears entirely disconnected and unmoved by the realities that surround him. He is a part of the Church, and therefore he is supposed to remain neutral among the ongoing conflict of ethnicity that is occurring around him.

Kiril finds himself caught in a conflict between right and wrong when Zamira, a youthful Albanian Muslim girl who is being pursued by the Macedonian militia, shows up at the church. Not far behind Zamira are her pursuers. During the first encounter that Kiril has with these men, he watches in horror as one of them opens fire on an innocent cat wi

Kiril chooses to do what he thinks is right, and protects Zamira. Against the rules of the monastery, Kiril allows Zamira to hide in his cell, after denying any knowledge of her presence to his superiors. Eventually, Kiril and Zamira are exposed by the monastery, resulting in Kiril’s banishment. The two then set off on their own in search of protection. This is the point in which Kiril breaks his vow of silence and takes sides. The two share an impossible love for one another. They both come from completely different religious backgrounds, with Kiril being Christian and Zamira being Muslim. It was fate that brought these two young adults together, since it would have otherwise been very unlikely considering the religious conflict that the two countries were in at the time.

“Before the Rain” demonstrates that the actions taken by one individual, no matter how many miles apart can ultimately affect the reality of a total stranger in another part of the world. Each of the characters mentioned above shared the same conflict; they were all in love with someone who they could not be with. In the end, violence, not love, prevailed, and claimed the li

Some topics in this essay:
Zamira Muslim, Kiril Zamira, Albanian Muslim, Anne Aleks, Milcho Manchevski, Orthodox Christian, Hanna Aleks, Aleks Nick, Macedonia Aleks, , “before rain”, impossible love, kiril zamira, anne aleks, vow silence,