This essay deals with the film realism in the feature film Before the Rain (1994) directed by Milcho Manchevski. The film is a realistic story describing a part of the events during the turmoil of the 1990ies on the Balkans. The purpose of the essay is to show the way the film realism has been implemented in this particular film i.e. to show how Manchevski has attained his goal of unfolding a society on the brink of the civil war. In the interest of the full understanding of the essay a part of the material has been devoted to the explanation of the terminology behind the film realism and description of film realism from the film aesthetic point of view with terms like “art film” and ”mise-en-scène” in focus. The theory part contains the description of the realism and its occurrence in the films as a phenomenon. Particular emphasis has been put on the roll of the neo-realistic imagery of the film in the post war Italy with its emerging tendency to focus on the moral and the issues of society and its ever-growing commitment to make the film audience an active part of the experience. The neo realism opened the way for different kind of thinking even in terms of aesthetic and gave birth to new expressions like the art film. Before the rain is a trilogy consisting of parts named “Words”, “Faces” and “Pictures”. The action is taking place in two different locations, London and Macedonia. It’s a non-sequential story that begins with its actual end, gradually developing and ending with its chronological beginning. As concluded Before the Rain is a fictional film strongly influenced by the reality it is describing. Therefore the film even has some documentary features to it as it’s intended to reflect the current situation on the Balkans as authentically as possible. The film also takes up some fundamental human values and attitudes and is trying to promote love and understanding before the hate and the intolerance, peace before the war. Before the Rain is unique even from the aesthetic point of view. Through means of film aesthetics Manchevski is trying to push forward arguments that will hopefully contribute to preventing the conflict in Bosnia and Croatia to spill over to Macedonia.