You are here:

Before the fire

Name: Before the fire
Director: Laura Mora
Released: 2015
Duration: 90 min

Representation Score

6.2/10

Good

2015

PG-13

Director

Laura Mora

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Before the Fire is a sociopolitical procedural that focuses on regional complexity rather than centralized power structures. It questions the stability of state institutions by highlighting the chaos of crime and political unrest. The film offers a meaningful shift from Western-centric political thrillers. By setting the investigation in Colombia, it presents perspectives on justice that challenge typical Hollywood narratives. However, the film lacks specific character-level diversity. There are no visible representations of LGBTQ+ identities or characters with disabilities, limiting the film's social scope to its political and ethnic framework.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Before the fire have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film doesn't explicitly mention LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight relationships. The main focus is on the political investigation.

How does Before the fire portray gender?

Fair

A female journalism student plays a crucial role alongside the male protagonist. Her involvement in a high-stakes situation helps move the story beyond traditional male-dominated narratives.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Before the fire?

Good

Set in Colombia, the film highlights Latin American identities. It explores the tension between local actors and state institutions, providing a non-Western viewpoint on conflict.

How does Before the fire represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The story challenges Western institutional narratives by showing state apparatuses as vulnerable to corruption. It looks at the systemic instability of formal legal structures.

Does Before the fire include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no indication of characters with physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the film.

Present on Screen

Provides a non-Western perspective on justice and systemic conflict.
Challenges traditional narratives of state stability and institutional strength.
Includes women in high-stakes, professional investigative roles.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight characters.
Provides no evidence of characters with physical or neurodivergent disabilities.
Character-level diversity remains unverified and largely absent.

Official Synopsis

The journalist Alvaro Mendoza investigates the murder of his best friend and colleague. With the help of a journalism student, they discover the plan of the guerilla, the mafia and the military to attack the Colombian justice palace.

How are these scores produced? →