digsandthat.com

DigsMagazine.com

indulge in some quiet time

.
.
.

what's for dinner?

take the poll

 

 

 

 

a home + living guide for the post-college, pre-parenthood, quasi-adult generation

04.10.2003

home
editor's note 
_____________

DEPARTMENTS
 
o lounge 
o nourish 
 
o host
o
laze
_____________

o BOARDS
o SHOP new!
o send an ECARD
_____________

about
contact
submit your ideas
support digs
search
links 

 
..
rented any good movies lately? jump to the boards and recommend it. 
 
.
help support digs ... shop for movies, books  and more at the digsShop
or
donate to digs directly!
 
shop for what's new on DVD/video:
 new releases + 
 pre-orders
  My So-Called Life
  Complete series 
 
The Sopranos:
  Season 3  
  Lord of the Rings
 
extended gift set

copyright ©1999-2003
DigsMagazine.com.


buy the
DVD

flick pick | Rain 2001
Directed by: Christine Jeffs
Written by: Kirsty Gunn (novel), Christine Jeffs
Starring: Alicia Fulford-Wierzbicki, Sara Peirse, Martin Csokas
Language: English
Look for it at the video store under: drama

Watch it when you’re in the mood for something: arsty-fartsy, nostalgic
The critic says: ½/ 5 the rating system explained
Fun factor: /5

Plot synopsis Thirteen-year-old Janey’s spending the summer with her mom Kate, her dad Ed and her little brother Jim, at a little beach cottage in New Zealand. Though the whole family’s together on this vacation, the beach house is really for Kate; Ed’s brought her here with the hopes that the water and sand and waves might cure his wife of her frequent bouts of depression. Sadly, the salty sea air doesn’t seem to be doing Janey’s mom much good, and it’s clear that her parents’ marriage is on the rocks. Janey and her little brother Jim spend most of their days fishing, swimming, and exploring the long stretches of beach, with their dad occasionally joining in on their little excursions. Kate, on the other hand, pretty much stays home alone. Janey watches her mom sleep till noon each day, drink herself into oblivion each afternoon, and come alive only in the evenings, during those wild cocktail parties where she drinks some more and flirts madly with Cady, a handsome young photographer who lives alone on a boat. Beyond the fact she doesn’t like to see her mom with a man other than her dad, things are further complicated by the fact that Janey’s hormones have kicked into full gear, and she’s just beginning to feel less like a girl and more like a woman. Sadly, the boys her own age mostly just annoy her – as is generally the case at that age, they just seem so far behind in maturity--  so when Janey begins to feel the first pangs of love and longing, it’s with Cady as the primary object of her desire.

Review The weird thing about Christine Jeff’s Rain is how it’s both silkily seductive and coolly repellent, all at the same time. Everything about the way the movie looks and sounds— from the beautiful New Zealand beach scenery, to the golden-green-tinged hues, to the deep 70s nostalgia, to the (occasionally too-obviously sentimental) music— invites you to sink in, revel in your senses, let the movie’s lush dreamy languor take over. At the same time, it’s hard to get over the rather disturbing ick factor of watching a very young girl interacting in an overtly sexual way with a man who should be old enough to know better. You want to distance yourself; it feels uncomfortable.  As Janey, Alicia Fulford-Wierzbicki is an unsettling mixture of naive little girl and knowingly sexy young woman, her dark eyes looking way more worldly and mature than her body indicates she has any right to be. Toss in two parents who are oftentimes painfully irresponsible in the way they act in front of their children, and Rain frequently makes for difficult watching, despite the sensual beauty of what you see onscreen. It’s this tension between finding yourself sucked in by the things that look lovely and wanting to remain detached from the things that feel gross that makes Rain feel like more than just another hackneyed, nostalgia-laden female coming-of-age story, despite the fact that there’s nothing in Janey’s experience that we haven’t seen in movies, television and books a gazillion times before.  In the end, what stays with you after watching Rain isn’t anything specific about the characters – though they’re nicely portrayed by an all-around excellent cast -- or the plot – which is largely nonexistent. Mostly, Rain leaves you enveloped with the memory of a mood – misty, delicate, sad, and beautiful.  —reviewed by Yee-Fan Sun

looking for a recommendation? 
find a flick to suit your mood

or browse the 
complete list of flick picks

---------------------------> lounge . nourish . host . laze . home .