Francis
Ford Coppola’s “The Rain People” is a low-budget, outside-the-system film at
its best: Brave, as uncomfortable as any harsh truth, and against the set codes
of American-GOP-approved rules. It’s a must-watch companion to fellow “F.U.” road
picture “Easy Rider” as it follows a conflicted housewife named Natalie (Shirley
Knight, raw with emotion) as she runs away from home in -– of all things -– a station wagon. Natalie is newly pregnant and scared of the responsibility. She
is consumed by how to carry on, or not. Coppola wisely allows Natalie to stay conflicted,
notably speaking of herself in the third person. She -– purposefully unwise -–
picks up a hitchhiker, a college footballer dropout (James Caan, excellent) waylaid by a devastating
injury to his brain. The two wonder mostly, finding an America beautiful and
patriotic, and yet corrupt and uncaring. Deeply poignant, beautifully written,
and often purposefully infuriating, “Rain” provides a shot of truth about the
lies we tell ourselves and others, boasting of false joy or denying our lost happiness.
The movie’s stark ending is as harsh as life’s crueler turns, as it must be. Awesome
credit: A guy named George Lucas is listed as production assistant. “Rain”
deserves more celebration. A
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