Pray for Rain (2017)

A journalist returns to the California farming community where she was raised only to find it has been ravaged by drought and has become a place ruled by gangs.

Director:

Alex Ranarivelo

Writers:

Christina Moore, Gloria Musca

Stars:

Jane Seymour, Annabelle Stephenson, Nicholas Gonzalez

Cast

Credited cast:
Jane Seymour	...	Olivia Gardner
Annabelle Stephenson	...	Emma Gardner
Nicholas Gonzalez	...	Nico Reynoso
James Morrison	...	Patrick Waring
Paul Rodriguez	...	Francisco Reynoso
Ali Afshar	...	Scorpion
John Ducey	...	Adam Campbell
Tyler Jacob Moore	...	Crash Murphy
John Heard	...	Markus Gardner
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nicole Badaan	...	Nicole
Liam Xavier Breen	...	Tomasito
Velina Brown	...	Lead FBI Agent
Esperanza Catubig	...	Doctor
Liz Godwin	...	Liz
John Ierardi	...	River Rain

Storyline

When Emma Gardner, a whip smart NYC reporter learns of her father's untimely death, she returns to her home town to find that the idyllic farming community of her childhood has been ravaged by drought and has become a place tormented by gangs and the ill effects of extreme poverty. She quickly figures out that her dad's accidental death was not accidental at all. The lists of possible suspects include overly zealous environmentalists, a local war lord and other farmers jealous of her father's outstanding reputation.

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Plot Keywords:

gang | drought | environmentalist | farmer | reporter | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 June 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Módl się o deszcz

Filming Locations:

Coalinga, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ESX Entertainment,ESX Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bella Conejo "Beautiful Rabbit" is a fictitious farming community. The largest community closest to the San Luis reservoir is Los Banos CA. Pop 36,000 at last census circa 2010. Bella Conejo could also be based in smaller adjacent communities such as: Gilroy, Ingomar, Gustine, Dos Palos CA... to name a few.

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Soundtracks

Lit
Performed by Lexy Panterra
Written by Lexy Panterra and Elliot Webber
Produced by Aaron Ayala and Jordan Stilwell

User Reviews

The Movie that Killed John Heard

After running after Kevin McCallister for decades, John Heard died shortly after this movie opened. Cause of death was extreme shame. Rest in Peace, John.

As for the "star" of this movie, it ain't Jane Seymour. Word is that she needed some cash for her luxury one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo in East L.A. so the producers fronted her the money. She repaid them with a dead-eyed performance as a throw-away mother that sits around berating her successful daughter.

Yeah, the daughter. She starts out the movie at a red carpet event in Hollyweird where she is obligated by the script to answer a phonecall from "Mom" with a "WHAT!?" as though she has some kind of "loving" arrangement with her crack-whore mother. And then, the boo-hoo moment: she says "wha-a-at?" (WHAT DIALOGUE!). Turns out that her commie daddy, struggling during Californica's worst drought to cultivate apples that are killing the population by sucking all the water out of the ground, is dead. He's been stung by a sentient tractor and had his brains sucked out. Actually not, but you're kind of hoping for a good plot twist.

So it turns out the Jets and Sharks are going around raping women and stealing water. The sheriff has had to arrest people who are going to jail for having drunk water in public. Or something like that. Sounds like a deal! You go to jail and you won't die from thirst.

More plot complications throw Emma (the daughter) on a dirt bike ("WEAR A HELMET!"-- "screw you, 'Mom'!") Yeah, she eventually has to wear a full helmet so they can use a stunt person. She judo-chops a guy, steals his car, steals his ID. Cripes what a total #LUSER he is.

Yeah, a couple of plot twists later, Kevin's dad gets his just desserts (and it Ain't apple pie). The aliens turn out to be disguised as SMELTS. And the whole movie crumbles from there on. 0 out of 10, IMDb doesn't allow a nil vote.

Oh, truth be told, the only aliens in this movie are the illegal kind. But they're the *nice* illegal kind, all Asian-y and products of war in far-off lands. Christ on a Mr Christie's cracker, this is a CHEESY piece of crap.