The Scent of Rain & Lightning

The Scent of Rain and Lightning made some interesting decisions: a non-linear story line, understated colors, and a list of characters that you both related to and suspected of murder. By the time the main character unravels the story of her parents' deaths, she realizes that no one is all good or bad, that people make mistakes and that some of those choices lead to dire consequences. This is no old-time western where the bad guy rides in with his black hat so you know who "done" it. The story unravels, going back and forth from past to present, keeping you engaged and guessing. I think this choice by the director was brilliant, and it keeps the audience in a semi-state of uncertainty--as soon as you think you've figured it out, guess again. I saw this movie with my husband, who normally likes easy and entertaining, but he found it as intriguing as I did, and I prefer movies that leave me with something to chew on afterwards. The casting had depth and allowed for the whole movie to work instead of revolving around a few major characters; it definitely felt like an ensemble. If you liked Hell or High Water, you'll like this film.

Although I like the mystery genre this time I wasn't completely satisfied. There was just too much going on, back and forth from the present to the past, too many characters, that results in a too confused story to follow. The acting was good though, certainly nothing bad to say about that. The filming was good too. Just too bad it was all that confusing and a also bit slow at times. Why they put this movie in the western genre is also a mystery to me. It's not because it's in Texas and that people wear cowboy hats that it's a western. But the movie is worth a watch, you won't get bored. I won't watch it a second time though, once is enough.

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.

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.