One Day Like Rain (2007)

Directed by: Paul Todisco | 90 minutes | drama, science fiction | Actors: Samantha Figura, Marina Resa, Jesse Eisenberg, Trevor Zacharias, Dylan Kussman, Marisa Petroro, Dalton Leeb, William Benz, Steven Sprung, Alec Nemser, Becky Stark, Kurly Cue, Christine Haeberman, Maneesh Madahar, Tamlin Hall, Maria Todisco, Claudio Brescia, Max Futema, Jarome Hollingsworth, Jamie Hope, Keldine Hull, Patrick Janelle, Lidiya Korotko, Liz Lorie, Bernardo Moller, Diane Nesley, Harret New, Tarrah New, Colin Niselman, Jessie Ober, Alec Palchikoff, Jessica Provencher, Ivonne Quinteros , Bria Roberts, Mikul Robins, Alejandro Salomon, Stas Tagios, Jamin Wass

Poetry is art, even if you don’t understand the message. Poetry appears in ‘One Day Like Rain’, but the film itself is also like a poem that you hardly understand. The interpretation is up to the viewer and maker Paul Todisco does not serve his audience a bite-sized meal. You will have to add ingredients to your own taste. It provides a special viewing experience, in which every scene is simultaneously everything but also meaningless. With a predilection for Lynch and a pinch of ‘Donnie Darko’ you can go a long way. The visual aspect of ‘One Day Like Rain’ predominates and although the intent of the scenes is not always clear, even viewers who ultimately do not appreciate the film will have to admit that the scene with the empty soda bottle rolling down the street is of poetic beauty. The scene from Gina’s point of view with the can on her forehead looking at the moon is also creative. Todisco takes plenty of time for his visual language and does not hesitate to focus for seconds on insects, birds and other inhabitants of the forest.

Gorgeous girlfriends Gina and Jen(nifer) are bored to death in an expensive suburb of Los Angeles, proving once again that money doesn’t buy happiness. One day, Gina has a revelation. She suddenly realizes how to save the world with its seven trillion inhabitants. She buys some “my first chemistry lesson” boxes at a local craft store and gets to work in the garage. Father and mother are absent, so that’s convenient. Todisco leaves open exactly what Gina has to save humanity from, as well as the way in which she obtained her insight. The role of the bizarre group in the forest also remains unclear.

‘One Day Like Rain’ is primarily a visual feast, with scenes so beautiful it almost hurts. The dreamy hallucinatory atmosphere gets under your skin and as a result the production will not let you go for the time being. The viewer is continuously stimulated to actively participate in the film. Sometimes this is made very difficult for the viewer, for example when subjects are discussed that turn out to have their origin outside the viewer’s experience and are also continued without the public being informed. It all remains very cryptic and vague, and revisiting it a second or even third time is not an unnecessary luxury. ‘One Day Like Rain’ may not be suitable for people who want a prepared dish, but for lovers of Lynch and floating teen dramas ‘One Day Like Rain’ is definitely worth a try.