by Bill Hawk

BEFORE THE RAIN

Shot in Macedonia and London, "Before the Rain" is a haunting study of war and its tragic consequences -- especially when the fighting occurs between neighbors. Divided into three sections, the connection between seemingly disparate events and people only becomes clear at the film's end.... Shot in Macedonia and London, "Before the Rain" is a haunting study of war and its tragic consequences -- especially when the fighting occurs between neighbors. Divided into three sections, the connection between seemingly disparate events and people only becomes clear at the film's end. In "Words," a pure and innocent Macedonian monk breaks his vows in order to hide an Albanian girl accused of murder. "Faces" dramatizes an Englishwoman's struggle to choose between her husband and her lover, a Pulitzer Prize-winning war photographer who is about to return to his native Macedonia. And "Pictures," the final segment, follows the photographer as he tries to comprehend the violence and bloodshed that have so transformed his nation's landscape and turned one-time friends into bitter enemies.

UNDER THE SAME MOON

Director Patricia Riggen delivers a heartwarming debut with UNDER THE SAME MOON. The story of the enduring bond between mother and son, the film stars Kate del Castillo as Rosario, a mother struggling to support her family in Mexico while living illegally in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, her son, Carlitos (Adrian Alonso), is left under the care of his grandmother. But when she dies, nine-year-old Carlitos embarks on a colorful and arduous journey across the border in search of his mother. The script has Carlitos narrowly escaping kidnapping, drug addicts, and Border Patrol workers, aided by the unlikely friendships he forges along the way. As we watch Rosario grapple with life as an illegal immigrant in Los Angeles, Carlitos's optimism and strength of spirit gain him a migrant worker (Eugenio Derbez) as a traveling companion.

Riggen keeps a potentially depressing topic surprisingly light by including frequent musical interludes, and cinematographer Checco Varese takes care to create a visual journey that's stunning throughout. America Ferrera (UGLY BETTY, REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES) appears in a small role, but it is 13-year-old Alonso who steals the show as the brave, funny, and precocious Carlitos.