Language teachers sometimes ask their
students to tell a story about a given picture to encourage creative and
associative thinking. When presented a picture such as the one above, can you
come up with any story ideas? Not easy, is it? That was how I felt when
offered this postcard at the entrance to the filming room. Could any link be
established among such images as a clown, a man holding an unlighted cigarette,
a boy in a raincoat, a battery, a ring and a bitten apple? But these, as I
later found out, are the very small yet important details that make up the
story of “Passing Rain”, a movie I enjoy very much.
There are scattered shots in the movie that
may be a bit puzzling in the beginning when the viewers are still unfamiliar
with the various characters and scenes. For example, the driver who keeps
trying to light a cigarette is suddenly seen to be playing the guitar with
a hand bandaged. When and how did he sustain the injury? Outside the funeral
home, a tall girl offers to help a lady seemingly suffering from pain due to
her pregnancy. Whose funeral has the girl just attended? A child in high
spirits throws a battery up to the sky murmuring something about a
space-shuttle soaring. Will the battery fall and hurt him? The scene changes
before we even have time to harbour any doubt. As shown on the above mentioned postcard,
there seem to be puzzle pieces waiting to be put together to form the complete picture.
As the story proceeds, however, the doubts clarify
themselves one by one. The rotten apple picked up intentionally from the
forgotten corner of the house signifies a mended relationship. The fall of the
battery has indeed caused an injury, without resulting in a tragedy, though. The
man’s wedding ring that ends up on another woman’s necklace may be a symbol of the
latter’s determination to bid farewell to a rotten lifestyle. The related incidents
are thus not all presented in chronological order. This is perhaps what
makes the movie appealing especially for viewers who prefer films that go in
strange and unexpected directions.
Albeit the characters may be strangers to
one another, their paths cross. And on several occasions, it is a passing rain
shower that brings them together. One such occasion is when the pretty woman
from the mainland is seeking shelter from the rain at a church entrance while a
few kids in yellow raincoats are guided in a queue down the street. Among them
there is the lovely boy with his toy space-shuttle. The shots are, in fact, very well organized and presented to achieve the desired effect. And it is also clear how passing rain serves to establish connective links, hence the choice of the movie name.
The movie mirrors the reality of life in
our city. What happens in it may actually be everyday occurrences in the vicinity
of our home or workplace. We may take no heed of them just as we tend to be
heedless of the passing rain. And, while there seems not much to expect from
living in a city like ours, this is a movie with a lot of pleasant surprises
right to the very end. It is a very good movie worth my enthusiastic
recommendation. And I, in particular, appreciate the short positive message that comes after the closing credit roll. So be sure to remain seated till then.
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