Before the War

Before the War (2026)



Prima della Guerra

5.7 2026 76 min —

Director: Tommaso Usberti

Cast: Piero Usberti, Luàna Bajrami, Claudia Poli, Sebastien Halnaut, Cisky Capizzi

Drama
In a quiet corner of Northern Italy, a young man named Guido, still in his early twenties, commands a hard-earned authority—forged not through charm, but through the brutal, unspoken codes of the racist and hyper-masculine streets that raised him. His reputation is a shield, built on aggression in a world that worships dominance. Yet everything unravels when Sonia walks into his life. A Kosovar immigrant with a quiet strength of her own, she becomes a mirror to everything he’s never questioned. Now, Guido stands at a crossroads: cling to the toxic legacy that defined him, or step into the unfamiliar, liberating light she offers. It’s a raw, emotional tug-of-war between the man he was raised to be and the man he could become.

More About This Film

Before the War is an Italian coming-of-age drama about Guido, a young man in a small northern Italian town whose social standing has been built around violence and a macho local culture. His outlook begins to change after he meets Sonia, a young woman from Kosovo who introduces him to another way of seeing the world.

Tommaso Usberti approaches the story as a study of young adulthood, peer pressure and the relationship between masculinity and violence. Piero Usberti, Luàna Bajrami, Beatrice Barichella and Edvin Camema make up the principal ensemble in a compact feature that observes its characters closely.

  • The original Italian title is Prima della guerra.
  • Directed and written by Tommaso Usberti.
  • It is Usberti's first feature film.
  • The film was selected for Venice Critics' Week in 2026.
  • Usberti previously won a Cinéfondation award at Cannes for his short film Deux égarés sont morts.

Where to Watch

Before the War is currently traveling through international festival and arthouse circuits, with digital availability depending on territory.