Some mysterious events take place in a small village in the Philippines. Strange laments come from the forest, some houses catch fire and cows are found dismembered. The ruthless troops of the militia begin to take control of large rural areas of the country while the President, Ferdinand E. Marcos, is about to impose martial law over the whole country. One year after Norte, the End of History, Lav Diaz goes behind the camera again to make one of the most dramatic films of his filmography on the history of the Filipino people and one of the most emblematic works of his poetics. Presented in competition at the Festival of Locarno in 2014 where it won the Golden Pardo for the best film, From What is Before tells of the devastating effects of the authoritarian change of the Marcos dictatorship on the daily life of the villagers in the north of the Philippines. A splendid film, in which the director returns to his beloved black and white and the style of a cinema that is lucid and coherent with his responsibilities.