AFI Review: Before the Rains

Doug Mankoff — a St. Mark’s graduate — is in town for the screening tonight at the Magnolia (7:30 p.m.) for Before the Rains, for which he’s one of the producers. Sorry about Tracing Cowboys, alter-Glenn. It might be one of those cases when sentiment overwhelmed judgment. But this one won’t be a disappointment. Linus Roache plays an Englishman in 1930s India, when opposition to the Raj was growing. He has big plans to build a road over the mountain using hordes of native labor before monsoon season, but his affair with his housekeeper — casual to him but not to her — leads to tragedy when he rejects her after his wife and son arrive.

This one sticks with you for its fine performances and moral complexities. It’s definitely one to see — if you can get in.