Before Tonight Is Over

One winter’s night in a Slovak mountain resort, customers gather in a nightclub seeking laughter, flirtation and fun. As the alcohol flows the evening unfolds in unpredictable ways, revealed through snatches of conversation and often absurd encounters. Using improvisation and multi-camera shooting, the film achieves a remarkable intimacy. But under its charming surface, it offers a sharp critique of life under communism, as the characters gradually reveal their unfulfilled dreams, insecurities and disappointments. Long suppressed, Before Tonight is Over is now regarded as one of the undiscovered gems of Slovak cinema. (Second Run)