3 días

This is the kind a movie I can't bear, the whole script rests on a main character who artificially postpones action in order to complete an hour and a half movie. I have the same feeling than watching Straw Dogs. As other comment says: "your guarding a bunch of helpless children from a known psycho, and a very suspicious stranger shows up when you are out in the middle of no where, you take him away from the house and you shoot him and then you shoot him again". You know the guy should shoot the bad guy from the very beginning, and there is no reason no to do so, you know and he knows... but we have to complete a movie.

The main character is also incoherent with his purpose of protecting the kids, leaving them alone, and breaking the unity of the family group. The action is done against basic human rules of behavior.

The acting is OK, is the writing and the whole movie concept that doesn't work.

Because of a "friend of a friend" I had the opportunity to see this new Spanish movie produced by Antonio Banderas and directed by Francisco Javier Gutierrez in the last Berlin International Film Festival. I have to confess that I'm not "catastrophe's movies friendly" but this film really surprised me. The movie is about the world ending in 3 days due to the imminent fall of a meteorite, however it actually focuses more on people's behaviour in a small town in the south of Spain which causes the audience to ask themselves "what would you do in your last 3 days of life?, would you try to enjoy your last moments or just take the chance to take revenge against the people you hate?. Good question.

I previously knew of director Francisco J. Gutierrez for his short film "Brasil" which was award winning in several festivals around the world. It is quite common to see young directors start and finish their professional life with an original and "short-life-short-film", but on this occasion Francisco J. really used the money in the right way. 3 days holds your attention from the beginning to the end, the characters are very real and really remind you of the people in your neighbourhood or office. Also the rhythm is correct and the photography just fantastic. From my point of view, a new cinema age is starting in Spain and "Before the Fall" is an example of it. Well done.

Beautiful, awful, inspiring and tragic story from beginning to the end. A movie filled with flawed, but incredible human characters, each wonderfully acted and poised. Excellent entertainment.

I am an English speaker and I saw this movie in Spanish with English subtitles, and after viewing it I think, for me, that was the way it should be viewed.

At the outset we are told all life will be exterminated by a large meteor/asteroid hitting Earth, so we know what the bottom line is.

The story line follows a man who has to fight his own, personal demons before he is a whole person. The question is, 'will he make it before the planet is destroyed?'.

The filming is not graphic like most modern movies, there is very-very little blood-shed and what there is is on-screen for a fraction of a second. The violence is implied more than anything else, up until the finale that is. The viewer has to be an active participant or they are not going to like/understand/get what is going on.

The directing and acting is excellent, characters are totally believable, The filming is all 'warm' with a slight yellowish cast to convey the heat and dryness. It is a very effective movie.

I would highly recommend this movie to anyone.

I saw this at the Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale) and although the director came out after the movie and tried to explain why he made the third act, the way he made it, I still wasn't really completely behind him or his concept. It is of course an independent production (even if a Mr. Banderas co-produced it or whatever) and the director was more than likable. But I, and many other as I can see by the votes here on IMDb, couldn't get over that final act and it's strange turn of events.

While the movie had many things going for it, up until that point (decent acting, a scenario where many things were possible and or plausible, especially because it is sci-fi after all), it seems to even hop genres at the end. What has worked for other directors before doesn't apply here. Unfortunately, because I really would have loved the movie more if it stayed, in it's lane (again the ending will appall many viewers, beware!)