Explosions and Computer Graphics Imagery can be a lot of fun. That’s why they comprise the majority of the summer blockbuster. But if you need a break from The A-Team, or if that just ain’t your scene, there’s hope. The Ritz 5 and other independent theatres in select cities are currently showing a French film called Let It Rain, and it’s just what the doctor ordered: it’s quiet, thoughtful and humorous.
Michel, a filmmaker, (Jean-Pierre Bacri, who also wrote the screenplay) decides to make a documentary about a best-selling feminist author named Agathe Villanova (Agnés Jaoui, the film’s director), who has big political aspirations. To aid his research, the documentarist enlists a married hotel clerk (Jamel Debbouze) whose mother has been the Villanova family’s maid for most of her life. The film also focuses on the lives of Agathe’s boyfriend, her sister, her brother-in-law and Michel’s son.
The movie starts off frustratingly slow. We are thrown into a conversation between Michel and the clerk Karim without knowing their names or intentions. After about 30 minutes, the lack of exposition, however, becomes refreshing. There is no exposition because Let It Rain isn’t really “about” any one thing. The film is a sort of fictional documentary that allows us to peer into the lives of its characters. When they slowly start to learn about themselves, we learn about ourselves. Their problems are not tragic, but merely sad. Their comedic moments are not hilarious, but merely funny. Because of this muted style (in addition to the excellent writing and acting), Let It Rain is a portrait of life and its warts that doesn’t manipulate, but is somehow existentially affirming.
This is not to say that the film is a revolutionary masterpiece. Realism has certainly been done, and the film draws no novel conclusions. However, it is nice to see a movie by filmmakers that strive to make people think, instead of mindlessly entertain. Especially in the summer.
