The Time Before
Leo Metcalf
Olly sifts through his memories, searching to understand why he is the way he is. The narrative swings between two contrasting worlds: his memories of his first years, captured by his childhood drawings, and surreal underwater live-action scenes representing his dreams. We witness fragmented memories of a torn family - an abusive father, a mother whose memory seems faded, and a sister, Sally, encouraging her little brother to escape through imagination and dreams. As memory and fantasy blur, The Time Before becomes a meditation on the stories we tell ourselves to survive, and what is lost in the telling.
Photo Gallery
Leo Metcalf
Creator
Leo Metcalf is a filmmaker and VR artist who grew up in Madagascar. Before working in film, he spent a decade producing radio programs on health, education, and the environment in Madagascar and Afghanistan. He then directed the award-winning experimental documentary DisAstro (Jihlava IDFF, 2017), which screened at the Whitechapel Gallery in London, UK. After earning an MA in Animation at the Royal College of Art, he released the 360° film The Everything Move (Aesthetica, 2020). His latest work, The Time Before (2025) was selected for Venice Immersive Biennale Cinema 2025 and won prizes at Raindance, ART*VR and Bolton Film Festival. Leo teaches filmmaking.
