In New Zealand, the teenager Janey (Alicia Fulford-Wierzbicki), her young brother Jim (Aaron Murphy), her mother Kate (Sarah Peirse) and her father Ed (Alistair Browning) are spending their summer vacation in a seaside cottage. Janey takes care of Jim most of the time, teaches him how to have endurance under the water, and observes the behavior of her parents, whose marriage is near the end. Kate and Ed promote many parties in the house and mainly Kate drinks a lot. She is also having an affair with the photographer and owner of a boat, Cady (Marton Csokas). The confused adolescent, rebel with her mother and dealing with a growing sexuality, tries to act like an adult with tragic consequences to the family."Rain" is a great surprise, being a profound, powerful, nostalgic and sensitive coming to age and family drama. The impressive and very mature debut of the young actress Alicia Fulford-Wierzbicki in the key role of Janey would certainly deserve a nomination to the Oscar if "Rain" were a Hollywood movie. The story is very simple and dramatic, but never corny, all the characters are very well developed though their personal dramas and the very convincing performance of the unknown cast is amazing and touching. This is the first work of director Christine Jeffs that I see, and I am very impressed with her sensibility and taste. The music score is wonderful, and the cinematography is indeed very beautiful. I would like to record my congratulations to the people involved in this little gem. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Chuva de Verão" ("Summer Rain")

I fail to see what the title had to do with the film, but that aside, Rain is a terrific tribute to the director, Christine Jeffs, and both the adult and actors. Right from the beginning, I could strongly sense the barren atmosphere of the location and the self-destructive behaviour of the adults. The acting of the girl/woman and her little brother was stunning, and credit must go to Christine Jeffs for ensuring that exactly the right tone was struck throughout. It so easily could have been a creepy Disney effort had the script not been so deftly performed and directed by such a skilled team. There could hardly be an adult watching this wonderful film who did not have their own childhood flooding back as they watched the girl/woman and her brother interact.

An interesting film with better acting from the child actors than the adults, and great songs from Neil Finn.** SPOILERS **I think the ending is far more complex and subtle than people seem to assume. I see Jim's death as symbolising the end of childhood that comes at the end of the movie. Remember that in literature and movies, events are not always what they seem. As someone else mentioned, after his death, she can never go back to the simple play they enjoyed. Some of the previous comments say that the movie should have ended differently, and even give details of better approaches. I disagree. Sometimes it's better to leave the story incomplete, and leave the meaning ambiguous. That's what this movie does.

"Not much to add" (that's how I started - before writing all that follows...!) to the positive statements made in the other user-comments I've read before seeing this remarkable movie tonight.(just in case: IT IS ABOUT Janey, a young girl in her teens, experiencing new feelings while watching the marriage of her parents finalizing its disintegration during the summer holidays, and her mother allowing herself into adventures Janey both despises and envies...).It's not often I get drawn into a motion picture like I did into this one. It has got a thoroughly admirable quality of obviousness, thanks to the perfect way everything - the story, the photography, the rythm, the actors - merges to give the film its "harmony", some kind of "flowing completeness" that is, indeed, known to me more by listening to music than from watching a movie.The dream-like quality has been rightly pointed out, and I might add that the relationship Janey has with her little brother (yes, that small born comedian is sort of a little miracle by himself...) makes me want to have had a sister (which I didn't) I'd have gotten along with just that well...As I read somewhere, Christine Jeffs has directed several music videos, and that certainly shows, but in the best way possible (not only mastering the means, but having already a VERY personal and original way of using them !).Small regrets are that I found the score itself (which otherwise contributes to the whole just as well as everything else does) is a bit too invading at some moments, where Jeffs just should have trusted the power of her visual language... AND I share with other IMDb-users that feeling of complete bewilderment, when faced with THIS seemingly USELESS ending/showdown...(what IS this??? WHAT FOR???)which almost, but just almost, trashes the whole experience... although it allows for a brief, and in my opinion breathtaking, reconciliation sequence between mother and daughter.Very warmly recommended; just forget everything I wrote before and enjoy a work of art of a movie !AND THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO RECOMMENDED IT !