Directed by Juan Zuloaga Eslait and written by Jiang Flora Wengu, Before The Winter begins when a student steals his classmate’s diary. Said classmate is Asian-American middle schooler May (Venice Wong), who hits the other student, Juan (Brandon Martinez), to get her property. The principal, Mrs. Lee (Lauren Bjel), knows this is unlike May and lets both kids off with just a talking to. However, she confiscates the diary, and after accidentally dropping it, curiosity gets the best of her, and Mrs. Lee begins to read. This is how the school administrator discovers that things are tense at home due to the long hours May’s mom (Yin Yin Liow) puts in every day to pay for medical treatments for their cat. But as she reads on, Mrs. Lee discovers that not everything is what it seems, and she unravels the mystery of May’s unusual behavior.
Before The Winter runs approximately 15 minutes and 40 seconds, except for one minor editing snafu, it’s an absorbing masterwork. Wengu’s script is tightly wound, expertly establishing May’s dilemma and deliberately pacing out the full scope of events until the very last second.
This is efficient, compelling storytelling with strong characterizations who are all well-rounded. May’s motivations always make sense, and her actions always ring true.
“…things are tense at home due to the long hours May’s mom… puts in…”
Eslait’s direction of Before The Winter is also a triumph. But first, the editing snafu mentioned earlier: Juan and May’s scuffle is shot and edited to make it very difficult, if not impossible, to discern what happens fully as the camera is looking at the ceiling, and the editing is frenzied and hard to follow. That moment aside, the director excellently creates a downbeat but worried mood. He allows the mystery to hang in the air, putting all watching on the edge of their seat. The filmmaker also elicits an amazing performance from his young star. Wong is amazing. Considering she appears in some way or another in every scene, she has a lot to shoulder and ably does so. She conveys anger, sadness, and guilt with grace and dignity. Bjel and Liow are fantastic as the main adults in over-their-heads, while Martinez is naturally charismatic and annoying.
Before The Winter tells a fascinating story in a very engaging way. The scene that kicks everything off is confusing. Considering how stunning the rest of the short is, that’s an issue that can be easily forgiven. Wong proves to have a bright future as an actor, and her supporting cast also gives terrific performances. Wengu and Eslait’s film packs more intrigue and characterization in slightly less than 16 minutes than a lot of recent big studio fare.
"…packs more intrigue and characterization in slightly less than 16 minutes than a lot of recent big studio fare."
