Rain (III) (2001)

Whilst on a family vacation on the Mahurangi Peninsula in New Zealand, 13-year-old Janey begins to realize that her parents' marriage is on the rocks.

Director:

Christine Jeffs

Writers:

Kirsty Gunn (novel), Christine Jeffs

Stars:

Alicia Fulford-Wierzbicki, Sarah Peirse, Marton Csokas

5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Alicia Fulford-Wierzbicki	...	Janey
Sarah Peirse	...	Kate
Marton Csokas	...	Cady
Alistair Browning	...	Ed
Aaron Murphy	...	Jim
David Taylor	...	Sam
Chris Sherwood	...	Ron
Claire Dougan	...	Joy
Alison Routledge	...	Heather
Pino Scopas	...	Pino
Ross Harper	...	Partygoer #1
Jane Irwin	...	Partygoer #2
Tom Evans	...	Partygoer #3
Andi Reveley	...	Partygoer #4
Lu Rathe	...	Boat Cleaner

Storyline

Janey is on vacation with her brother, Jim, mother, Kate, and father Ed, at their beach house on the Mahurangi Peninsual in New Zealand. Ed and Kate, who are on the verge of divorce, sit around in the back yard all day drinking whiskey and Janey and Jim are left to their own devices. Cady, a local boatee who is having an affair with Kate, catches Janey's pubescent eye. In response to his wife's drinking problem and recurring infidelity, Ed turns to alcohol, ignoring his children almost as much as his wife, which eventually leads to a character's fate.

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | vacation | photographer | summer | party | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

NZ Film Commission rainthemovie.com [nz] Christine Jeffs' debut feature film

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 2001 (New Zealand)

Also Known As:

Eső

Filming Locations:

Mahurangi Peninsula, Rodney District, Auckland Region, New Zealand

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$15,222 (USA) (26 April 2002)

Gross:

$453,517 (USA) (20 September 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Communicado Productions, New Zealand Film Commission, Rain Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 90 min 86 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Although this film is set in the year 1972, the partygoers at Ed and Kate's party are dancing to the Sherbert song "Howzat", which was not released until 1976.

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Quotes

Ed: Take that to your mother, please.
Janey: She's got legs.
Ed: Take it to her anyway.

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Soundtracks

"Drive Home"
(N. Finn)
Mushroom Music (Australia & New Zealand)
Roundhead Music administered by Wixen Music Publishing (USA & Canada)
EMI Music Publishing UK (rest of the world)

User Reviews

The Taste of Rain....

Janey and her family spend their summers at their lakeside vacation home. The lake is a refuge for Janey and her little brother Jim. Janey tries teaching Jim to swim in the day, and at night, their parents parade them around as entertainment for their friends at their endless beach parties.

Janey seems to resent her mother and the way she treats her father. She realizes her parent's photographer friend is more than a friend to her mother...much more. Janey begins to fixate on the photographer and offers to be more than his photography subject which she ends up paying for dearly.

This film is directed by Christine Jeffs and is her first feature film. She has won awards for her Television Commercial Direction which is understandable in the film Rain through her use of slow motion photography. There are several slow motion shots that filter in and out of the film giving it a surreal yet creepy feel.

The pacing is comfortably slow and feels right for the story. The plot unfolds naturally and pulls you in for a gentle ride that unexpectedly becomes thrilling towards the panicked end. Janey is so easy to fall in love with. Her emotions are human and easy to relate to and I felt like I understood her to the core.

Actress Alicia Fulford-Wierzbicki plays Janey and captured my heart with her honest performance. Her performance is very impressive, especially considering this is her first feature film and she comes across as an experienced natural. Aaron Murphy plays the little brother and he is precious and real. The casting for this film is right on and makes this character driven movie 5 stars.

This film is based on the novel Rain by Kirsty Gunn. This is one of the first times that a movie was more impressive than the book on which it was based.