hen a bothersome student (Brandon Martinez) steals May’s (Venice Wong) diary, threatening to read it, an ensuing scuffle results in a trip to the teacher’s office for a swift reprimanding. Infuriatingly, once the article is in the hands of this adult (Lauren Bjel), she too betrays the privacy and trust of the child, opting to read various passages. With this unforgivable act, it’s revealed that little May is struggling with her pet cat, who is battling an illness. And she relates quite a bit to that timid creature, who tends to lazily bask during the day or quietly wander about at night, going through its routines with minimal enthusiasm or emotion.

“Cruel to prolong its suffering …” Other problems within May’s home are also unfolding, though these are of the kind that are unlikely to have been adequately detailed within the pages of the confiscated journal (though lucidly visualized onscreen). May surely doesn’t understand them all, nor would she have the ability to describe them accurately with words, considering that they relate to the family’s dire need for money and her mom’s painful, desperate, adult solutions. Nevertheless, it’s clear to the viewer what is happing – and that the people in May’s life are unable to properly help her. It’s equally evident that everyone here could use some professional therapy, but poverty and a general lack of resources tend to be the most crushing hindrances to mental wellbeing.

“Before the Winter” is excellently scored and nicely shot, casting a fitting orchestral malaise and a dark hue over all the events; it’s technically quite proficient. And though it’s quick and simple – an excellent tale for a short subject – it’s not particularly rewarding; the revelations at the end aren’t enough to counteract the disgusting nosiness of the teacher. And they should haven been; May’s ultimate sacrifice, misguided and juvenile as it is, ought to be significant and potent. Instead, it’s permanently suppressed by the overstep of an authority figure and the continued meddling of a fellow student, whose good-intentioned interventions are equally as galling.

– Mike Massie