As the story unfolds in Rain Dogs, I couldn’t help feeling a sense of awe at the sheer visceral impact of the film. The movie is told from the point of view Tung, who for all intents and purposes, has been lost all throughout his life. His father died before he was born and he feels a sense of resentment directed at his mother. Even though he is 19 years old, he still lives like a child, roaming around town looking for something to do. He doesn’t talk that much, thus the viewer is never really sure what he will do next. There’s rarely any music in the movie, except for a few piano lines that is played in a handful of scenes in the first half of the film. Then somewhere in the middle portion of the movie and at the end of the film the very poignant song “Sometimes I feel like a motherless child” is played by blues legend Odetta as a backdrop to the movie.

While the viewer is often left in stunned silence during these scenes, the camera would pan across the lush Malaysian countryside that was absolutely jaw-dropping beautiful. Even more impressive about the HD cinematography would have been that the focus of the cameras were aimed squarely at the poorer rural areas in Malaysia. Yet, visually, the scenes were just so rich. The manner in which the cameras captured the utter beauty of the trees and grass as it sat along the highway or the interior deco of the modest homes featured in the movie were so fulfilling in a way that just has to be seen. Literally I wanted to jump through the screen and lay in the grass and feel the breeze as it passed through those trees.

“Rain Dogs” is certainly not the kind of movie that will floor you with action. The story is well thought out, but often drifts along in a slow dreamy fashion. If you enjoyed the first half of Sukida, then you will most likely love Rain Dogs. As the film came to its conclusion, the importance of the family unit was impressively emphasized with the soundtrack of Odetta singing “Sometimes I feel like a motherless child” as the camera focused on a metaphorical tree swaying in the winds while a rainbow sat not far above it. Absolutely sweet way to end the film!

Credit goes to director Yuhang Ho for creating such a poignant movie. Also, I have to say that I am now a big fan Andy Lau’s Focus Films Limited. After seeing “My Mother Is A Belly Dancer” (another Focus Films release) and now “Rain Dogs” I’m likely going to seek out all their releases. Rain Dogs is simply something to be experienced in all its visceral glory.