As the north-east monsoon graces southern India with an uncharacteristically wet October, the region finds itself wrapped in a heavy downpour. This natural phenomenon, though often testing our patience through power outages and housing leaks, has long inspired filmmakers, serving as a powerful motif in storytelling. In the cinematic world, the rains have been depicted in myriad ways, from harbingers of emotion to devices of suspense.
Exploring the cinematic landscapes that have successfully painted the rains, two exceptional anime films from Japanese maestro Makoto Shinkai deserve special mention. Renowned for his fascination with rain, Shinkai’s films often gravitate toward these atmospheric phenomena. “The Garden of Words” intricately weaves a narrative of an almost-romantic relationship between a young boy and an older woman, set against a rain-drenched Shinjuku park. Similarly, “Weathering With You” introduces us to an orphaned girl who possesses the extraordinary ability to manipulate weather, crafting yet another coming-of-age drama draped in stunning anime rain orchestrations. Both films present Tokyo through a lens of magical realism, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy.
Shifting focus to Hollywood, rain often serves as the perfect backdrop for moody thrillers, encapsulating suspense and mystery. David Fincher’s masterpiece “Se7en” epitomizes this, with its perpetual downpour coinciding with the grim narrative of a city’s darkest days. Similarly, Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” and Matt Reeves’ reinterpretation of “The Batman” intensify their narratives against cloudy, rain-laden skies. Denis Villeneuve’s oeuvre also features notable examples; “Blade Runner 2049” and Ridley Scott’s original “Blade Runner” harness rain to cultivate a futuristic noir ambiance. Moreover, films like “Prisoners” and “Arrival” utilize rain to set a tense atmosphere, leaving audiences on tenterhooks. Though one may wonder if Villeneuve flirted with the idea of drenching the sands of Arrakis in fog in the “Dune” series, there’s still hope as “Messiah” awaits on the horizon. And who can forget the polarizing yet captivating “Identity” by James Mangold, where an unending deluge serves as the centerpiece of a gripping mystery?
Across the Pacific, Korean auteur Bong Joon-Ho demonstrates an engaging use of precipitation to convey both context and subtext.
. “Memories of Murder” employs rain as a harbinger of doom when a serial killer’s pattern emerges, intertwined with stormy nights. In his critically acclaimed “Parasite,” a relentless storm shatters the illusion of class stability, laying bare the nuanced divide between the Kim and Park families and unraveling concealed truths. Films like “The Host” and “Mother” further underscore Bong’s knack for harnessing rain’s symbolic potential to advance gripping plots.
In the Indian context, particularly in its southern regions, celebrated filmmaker Mani Ratnam infuses his works with rain-drenched landscapes, as seen in “Kannathil Muthamittal.” Here, the lush greens of Sri Lanka, absorbed in the rain, provide a poignant backdrop to a family’s emotional journey, heightened by A.R. Rahman’s stirring score “Vellai Pookal.” His film “Raavanan,” set amid dense forests showered by incessant rain, emerges as a touching tribute to nature’s beauty. Arivazhagan’s 2009 horror-thriller “Eeram” also capitalizes on the eerie allure of rain, complemented by the melodious “Mazhaiye Mazhaiye.”
Heading north, Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Kaminey,” Mohit Suri’s romantic saga “Aashiqui 2,” and Anurag Basu’s urban tapestry “Life in a Metro” weave memorable rain sequences into their stories, whereas Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light” reflects both the allure and disarray of Mumbai’s monsoon. Two notable Malayalam dramas, Dileesh Pothan’s “Maheshinte Prathikaram” and Padmarajan’s “Thoovanathumbikal,” depict rain as the ultimate metaphor for love and longing; the rain mirrors Mahesh’s (Fahadh Faasil) emotional state, while Jayakrishnan’s (Mohanlal) passionate thoughts beckon the downpour.
These films invite us to appreciate the fine balance of passion, chaos, and melancholy that rain brings to cinema. As we revel in these cinematic rain dances, one can’t help but contemplate: who doesn’t love a good rain song? But perhaps that’s a discussion for another day.
In the meantime, from The Hindu cinema team, here’s a fortnightly exploration of films and shows that resonate with thematic and atmospheric phenomena.
