The terror that permeates the opening of Fear of Rain is nothing completely new to the thriller genre. A beautiful young blonde girl is seen running through a sparse rural landscape while being pursued by a hooded figure. The young woman frantically, albeit hopelessly, tries to make herself small behind a large tree as the malevolent figure sneaks up behind her and throws her in a shallow grave to be buried alive. The scenario is familiar, but it is also not exactly as it seems. This is not the end for this poor soul; this is Rain (Madison Iseman, Anabelle Comes Home), and this is a hallucination being caused by her schizophrenia. Rain has landed herself back in the hospital after going off her medication because she hates how it makes her feel like a “zombie.” As she explains at one point in the movie, her schizophrenia manifests in both auditory and visual hallucinations, but she does not have multiple personalities – that’s a different thing entirely. Her parents, John and Michelle (Harry Connick Jr. and Katherine Heigl), are weighed down with worry by the fact that their child might have to be institutionalized if they cannot get a better handle on the disease.
Fear of Rain is a conventional thriller as viewed through an atypical lens. The subject of mental illness is often handled in an overblown manner that only goes to marginalize those who suffer from it. Burgeoning writer/director Castille Landon attempts to tackle this subject with more tact and realism, which she often accomplishes, but the need to create a mainstream-friendly thriller results in a few shortcomings in that department. The film is not solely focused on Rain’s schizophrenia and the alienation she feels at school when she returns to a student body that views her as somewhat of a pariah. There is also the Rear Window-inspired development in which she hears a scream and sees who she believes to be a kidnapped child in her neighbor’s attic. Is this just another manifestation that her mind has conjured up? That is certainly what all of the adults in her life believe, and it does not help that the neighbor in question is her overly-friendly teacher (Eugenie Bondurant). Similar to last year’s The Invisible Man, the anxiety of not being believed by those closest to you is a source of constant dread throughout the story.
It is not all doom and gloom for Rain, though. While hesitant of him at first, there is a new kid at school, Caleb (Israel Broussard), who takes an instant liking to our young protagonist. She hides her illness from him throughout a large portion of the movie, but even when the truth does come out – you knew it had to – he acts in the manner that you would want any reasonable human being to act. The images in Rain’s mind can often be quite horrifying, but this new relationship keeps her life from being a complete hellscape. The two young actors have a really pleasing, easy chemistry with one another in which you can get invested. Broussard is apparently made for this type of role, as he occupied nearly the same type of character really well in Happy Death Day. Caleb is the kind-of quirky guy that seems like a godsend, which poses somewhat of a problem. Having never met him, Rain’s parents wonder aloud if Caleb even actually exists, or if this another unfortunate hallucination set to wreck Rain. The unreliable narrator aspect of the film keeps you off balance throughout most of the film.
Despite questioning what may or may not be real through most of the story, in the end you can likely guess most of the big reveals before they happen. The film often lacks the subtlety in craft to keep certain revelations from being obvious to those who pay close attention. Even when you are armed with this knowledge, the incredible performance from Madison Iseman keeps you anchored in her feelings rather than just pure plot mechanics. It is true that Rain is mostly confined to being either manic or cold, but there are a few moments where the “real” Rain shines through that keeps you rooting for her. The performances from the adults in the cast are nothing to write home about, but they get the job done for what the movie is trying to accomplish. The standout amongst them is the striking and creepy Bondurant who uses her natural features to create an unsettling antagonist. The film is not high art, but it is a steady thriller that tackles the subject of mental illness with a bit more grace than many similar films. If you keep your expectations in check and go in wanting to see a decent psychological thriller, you should find enough to enjoy here.
Video Quality
Fear of Rain comes to Blu-Ray in a detailed 1080p presentation in its 1.85:1 original aspect ratio that truly wows in high definition. The clarity throughout is outstanding with subtle flourishes in the production design coming through perfectly. Color saturation is great with the color palette pushing slightly cooler to fit the mood and location of the narrative. The opening of the film features a terrifying nighttime pursuit, but the film uses shadow sparingly for the remainder of the runtime. Skin tones are natural to the lighting conditions, although a lot of exposed skin is covered in all manner of cuts and bruises as the story goes alongs. The film employs an intentionally hazy aesthetic to mirror the lack of clarity that Rain is experiencing in her mind. Black levels are pretty deep and do not fall victim to any noticeable digital noise or errors of the sort. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has delivered an outstanding high definition presentation here.
Audio Quality
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is extremely engaging, and it never fails to deliver something truly unbelievable. The soundscape on display here is very rich thanks to the way in which Rain’s mind is depicted to have voices coming from numerous directions. This film is not meant to be a full-throttle action film, but there are moments where certain kinetic sequences pack a bigger punch that one might expect. Dialogue comes through crystal clear with none of the information feeling lost to the music in the film or the sound effects. All of the effects have a nice sense of direction within the mix with noises such as the psychosis really springing to life. The movie uses environmental sounds to great effect, and the track retains strong detail even in the more chaotic developments. There are numerous moments that make good use of the low end. The track is an unexpected powerhouse from start to finish.
Special Features
- Collective Fear – A Conversation: A 33-minute virtual conversation between Director Castille Landon and Actors Harry Connick Jr., Madison Iseman, Israel Broussard and Eugenie Bondurant in which they discuss the origins of the story, the challenges that came with inhabiting their characters, the last-minute gender swap for a key character, the most intense scenes to shoot and more. This is a pretty substantial piece that offers a lot of wonderful insight into the film.
- Deleted Scenes: Nearly five minutes of unused material is included here including an extended scene at the track, Rain having another freakout in the cafeteria and more. Nothing too exciting, but it is good these were included.
Final Thoughts
Fear of Rain tells an important story about mental illness in a way that is mostly respectful of that community and quite entertaining. The movie is admittedly quite predictable in many respects, but it serves as a decent time waster thanks to a very strong lead performance from up-and-comer Madison Iseman. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has delivered a Blu-Ray with a pleasing A/V presentation and a couple of entertaining special features. If you do not go in expecting a masterpiece then you have a much better chance of actually enjoying yourself. Recommended
Fear of Rain is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
