BasicLogic
I've never given a 10/10 rating ever on imdb, but this one surely deserves it! An impeccably directed, shot and acted from the very beginning to the end; and the end indeed was not as an usual end since it smartly left the space for the viewers to fulfill it with their imagination and bless. What a wonderful screenplay with wonderful cast to be performed by all the actors. The constant smiles of the peaceful ronin with great heart of humanity, the short-tempered fief master, the serene and understanding wife of the ronin, the fief mater's great wife, and those poor people congested in the roadside inn awaited the rain to stop...., and the fantastic cinematography and the fascinating soundtrack....on and on, there's no film so perfectly put together.I was deeply touched and moved by the sublime humanity this ronin and his wife did and said. I was also puzzled by the Japanese people, why they are at the same time so philosophically profound as the most wonderful mankind on Earth, yet they also had generated so many monstrous satanic stone killers during the WWII. This film should be widely viewed especially by all of the races on the planet and those profit-driving Hollywood producers.
FilmCriticLalitRao
About Japanese director Koizumi Takashi, it can be said that his life has come to a complete standstill on two different occasions. Firstly, there was absolute shock for him in store when his mentor, Akira Kurosawa died after having written the screenplay of "After the Rain". It was therefore a tough challenge for Koizumi to direct the film exactly in the same manner as Kurosawa Sensei had wished. Secondly, the quiet manner in which his film flows makes all viewers wonder about the complete lack of movement in his film. It is as if stillness pervades the entire film even in those scenes where there is drama and violence. As a film, After the rain is a highly philosophical tale about a samurai who finds his true worth when he becomes a key witness to some of life's harshest hardships. Despite tackling a tough subject, it remains a highly accessible film due to its focus on entertainment and humor.As a minor theme, Koizumi Takashi deftly explores the importance of a woman who is absolutely dependent on her husband for her survival. There is no sign of weakness in the feminine gaze as the female protagonist has been shown as a worthy partner of a man in distress. If acting is something which might interest enthusiastic viewers then they must give due respect to brilliant acting performances by Japanese actors Terao Akira and Miyazaki Yoshiko who are impressive in their roles as Monsieur Le Samurai and Madame La Samurai.
Necatoriasis
Ame Agaru was one of the most intricate films I have seen so far--not because it had a complicated plot or pieces that fit into a missing puzzle, but because the messages in it conveyed a wisdom that accompanied the life of the samurai. There was little majesty addressed to the fighting lifestyle and code of honour that encompasses the samurai way of living; instead, it focused on the simplicity of the day to day life behind the majesty of such mystic creatures. The film was beautifully directed, the aesthetic of the atmosphere was amazing, the acting had a humble approach that truly reflected the modesty of the wise samurai, and the film's length was just enough to convey the message accurately without going into extraneous details or without being too short. This film addressed the grandeur found even in the stagnant way of living for the samurai, and what I was even more pleased to see was that the film addressed the wisdom of releasing ego and the will to win. Those who sought to win seemed to be self-defeating, and only when the way of the warrior becomes that egoless path can the warrior cross the river after the rain and see where he is going.
Chung Mo
Kurosawa was very interested in stories about older men facing their destiny. Most of his films from Kagemusha and on deal with this in some way. Ame Agaru is another story that deals with the topic.Almost like a play at times, Ame Agaru takes it's time and is all the better for it. There are some excellent sword fights and formal duels in the film but they are not the focus of the film. There's a bit of time depicting the main character silently practicing his sword work in the woods that might bore a number of viewers. Is this a Kurosawa film? Yes, in that I could easily see him directing this story. There are a number of similarities to his last film, Madadayo. No, in that the direction here is sort of mundane. Kurosawa's distinctive eye is missing. There's a TV movie quality that's sort of unusual for a film like this. However, the actors and the story really do carry this film over and while it's not a masterpiece, it's not a waste of time either if you know what you are getting into.
AD
