DVD R RAIN

RAIN

Written by TroyAnderson Jul 19th 2010 Hits: 214 Favorites

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THE PLOT THUS FAR

Determined to find the mother who abandoned her, 14-year-old Rain leaves her secluded home after her grandmother dies in this inspiring family drama. But her hopes for a loving reconciliation are quickly shattered when she discovers that her mother (Nicki Micheaux, Lincoln Heights) is now a drug-addicted prostitute living in the worst part of the city. Frightened, Rain must summon all her inner strength to survive. She turns for help to a kind-hearted track coach (CCH Pounder, The Shield), who encourages Rain to pursue her dreams.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

Renel Naomi Brown stars as Rain, a skinny 14 year old who lived with her grandmother on a small island until grandma dies in an early sequence. With no one to take care of her she does what her grandmother knew she would: she boards a boat for the big island and goes to the last known address in Nassau for her estranged mother. "Rain" is fascinating to watch because of the glimpses it gives us of Bahamian life and the artistic decisions that the director made. That makes the seen-it-before subject matter seem fresher than it really is, and the warm-hearted gentle tone makes it just as easy to like this little, unassuming film.

The movie provides an interesting perspective on the country, with the early scenes on one of the picturesque outer islands and the bulk of the story in Nassau. There are a couple too many travel montages for my taste, but director Maria Govan probably knows her audience better than I. Still, it feels way too passe for material like this to break on through to a wider audience. How many times do we need to see poor kids beating the odds? It's a temporary thrill that doesn't promote repeat viewings.

The DVD comes with no special features. But, the Dolby 2.0 track does strong work in supporting the dialogue heavy film. However, I noticed that the transfer seemed to be washed out at points. I don't know whether that should be chalked up to shooting a lot of exteriors in a tropical environment or just a lazy cinematographer. Oh well, it's still worth a rental.

RELEASE DATE: 07/27/2010