A nonetheless from ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’
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An uncharacteristically moist October has seen a number of elements of south India swathed in heavy rainfall over the past couple of weeks, due to the north-east monsoon. Relying on what number of energy outages and constructing leaks you might be yearly topic to throughout this era, one’s concept of romanticising the showers may differ accordingly — but it surely goes with out saying that filmmakers, for lengthy, have used the phenomenon as heady motifs.
Inexplicably, two anime options from Japanese filmmaker and novelist Makoto Shinkai (whose obsession with rain is seen in just about each creation from his studio) first come to thoughts after I consider films which might be homages to downpours. The Backyard of Phrases depicts an almost-romance between a teen and an older girl as they take refuge from the thunderstorms collectively inside a Shinjuku park, whereas Weathering With You’s protagonist is an orphaned lady who can management the climate at will; each coming-of-age dramas characteristic an inordinate variety of spectacular anime rain sequences that paint Tokyo as probably the most magical of atmospheric escapes.
A nonetheless from ‘Backyard of Phrases’
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Gloomy, moody thrillers set in opposition to the backdrop of rain is a Hollywood staple, and no movie encapsulates it higher than David Fincher’s Se7en. The storms shut down solely when John Doe surrenders and his reign ends (no? but it surely was proper there…) Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island and Matt Reeves’ The Batman reboot are worthy additions to this checklist, together with a number of Denis Villeneuve outings like Blade Runner 2049 (Ridley Scott’s authentic can be an awesome instance), Prisoners and Arrival — followers did marvel if there was going to be a rogue shot of Arrakis veiled in fog sooner or later within the Dune films… however don’t fret, we nonetheless have Messiah to come back. Maybe, a fleeting point out of James Mangold’s divisive whodunit Identification can be so as right here, as the complete thriller takes place round a endless deluge.
Korean auteur Bong Joon-Ho is one other director whose utilization of rains to set context — and subtext — is fascinating; in Recollections of Homicide, it’s a harbinger of dread and doom because the cops uncover a serial killer who assaults his victims at any time when it rains, whereas in Parasite, that storm and subsequent flooding lays naked the category variations between the Kim and Park households, and brings hidden truths to the floor. The Host and Mom are two of his different movies which have enjoyable with plot factors influenced by rains.
Nearer dwelling, and down south, Mani Ratnam’s Kannathil Muthamittal brims with the plush greens of Sri Lanka drenched in rain, resulting in that heartbreaking climax with the household huddled beneath the umbrella because the strains of AR Rahman’s mesmerising Vellai Pookal takes over. Equally, the filmmaker’s Raavanan performs out as a love letter to the waterfalls and continuous rain within the jungles the place the epic journey was shot. Arivazhagan’s 2009 horror-thriller Eeram is one other contender, full with the lilting quantity Mazhaiye Mazhaiye.
A shot from ‘Maheshinte Prathikaram’
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Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey, Mohit Suri’s Aashiqui 2 and Anurag Basu’s Life in a Metro all characteristic memorable scenes within the rains, whereas Payal Kapadia’s All We Think about as Mild echoes each the appeal and the chaos of Mumbai’s monsoon season. Lastly, two Malayalam dramas: Dileesh Pothan’s Maheshinte Prathikaram wherein the cloudy skies and impending showers parallel the state of the romance in Mahesh’s (Fahadh Faasil) life, and Padmarajan’s Thoovanathumbikal, whereby rain is the last word metaphor for love and keenness; it pours each time Jayakrishnan (Mohanlal) meets and even thinks of the girl he’s in love with.
Which prompts the thought: who doesn’t love rain tune? However that’s a dialogue for one more day.
From The Hindu cinema crew, a fortnightly column recommending movies and reveals tied to a temper, theme, or pop cultural occasion.
Printed – October 26, 2024 02:32 pm IST
