The Scent of Rain & Lightning

I recently saw this movie at the Atlanta Film Festival. The acting was great, the colors used were amazing, and the story was interesting enough to keep the audience captivated.

Normally with those three items mentioned, this would be a perfect movie. Unfortunately, parts of the movie left the audience confused. You weren't sure exactly who was who at times, and the director admitted some viewers will be confused.

The beginning dragged on a bit, and it took much longer than needed to realize you were watching two different time lines. This type of movie is difficult to direct and besides the character confusion, I honestly believe the director did his best to portray the two time-lines in order to give the full story.

It's a movie worth watching, but make sure you don't lose your focus or else you may get lost.

With a stellar cast, I really did expect more from percent of rain and lightning. It just seems to drag on and on with only a few standout scenes, what could've been a compelling who done it turns out to be more than a bit of a drag! It seems to have been shot on a pretty tight budget, but even so a little bit of creative cinematography could've elevated it higher. The modern western setting is nothing we haven't seen 1000 times before, and sadly some of the drawnout shots are more style over substance. Again, the cast do nothing wrong, but aren't given much to work with in what is a truly forgettable movie.

The movie stinks. I can't stand the back and forth business with no explanation as to what is going on. There were constant flashbacks to the past like we are supposed to know who all the characters are. It started at the beginning and we hadn't even gotten to know the present characters so that makes it frustrating and confusing. The entire movie goes back and forth. The lead character's trying to figure out who murdered her parents years ago but she never comes to a conclusion; she seems to give up altogether towards the end. What was the point? We never find out 'who done it!" I can't stand movies that don't have a conclusion.

Another thing I didn't like is the filming technique "shaky-camera syndrome" and it was so random. Too bad no one on the movie making staff had the guts to tell the director he did a terrible job of trying to tell a story and that he omitted 99% of the answers.

Scent of Rain and Lightning (an adaptation of the novel by Nancy Pickard) upends expectations at every twisted turn. Anchored by a strong script from RUDDERLESS writers Casey Twenter and Jeff Robison, the film refuses to comply with the usual genre rules. Styled as a Western, flirting at the edges of a who-don-it, the film ultimately questions if we can truly know the truths of our personal histories...let alone understand them. Director Blake Robbins's extreme close-ups create a feeling of confusion and claustrophobia while a stellar cast hints at unseen histories. Watch for Maggie Grace's enigmatic portrayal of the headstrong, paradoxical Laurie.

This is the kind of film that sticks with you, and makes you want to watch again. The story isn't told in a traditional way, which can make it feel unsettling and even disorienting at times, but in an interesting and engaging way.