Rainy Day
| Rainy Day | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Lena Pesaro |
| Written by | Katiuscia Alderisi |
| Produced by | Ernesto Adami |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Feliks Wojewoda |
| Edited by | Felicja Pakulski |
| Music by | Sakura Saito |
Production company | Ascension Production |
| Distributed by | Ascension Production |
Release date | 1 August 2009 |
Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | Malgrave |
| Languages | Malgravean Ancient, Mystrian Common |
Rainy Day is a 2009 romantic drama starring Kim Hye-jin, Angela Necchi, Kim Yoo-jung and Eliza Chlebek. It is loosely based on memoirs written by members of the Territorial Defence Force as they struggled to return to civilian life after the dissolution of the Socialist Republic and the end of the civil war.
History
After the completion of the Epping-Rensk agreement, a large number of conscripts serving in the Territorial Defence Force were deemed surplus to the requirements of peacetime operations and transferred to the Active Reserve. A number of these conscripts struggled to adjust to civilian life, with many of these soldiers putting their thoughts into words and publishing their own written memoirs about their own struggles.
A few of these collections reached wider popular audiences, as a large portion of the population had served in the Territorial Defence Force and resonated with the sentiments being expressed. Conscripts Memory, a memoir written by a soldier that had taken part in the destruction of the NWR and took part in some of the final engagements with the SRM was perhaps the most popular example of this era of writing, with the book selling out across the country.
Within a few years discussions started to make a version of Conscripts Memory suitable for television, however, this was made difficult over concerns about the censorship situation at the time, and the delay meant that the first rendition of the show was an unpopular radio drama briefly broadcast on MBC Radio One which delayed production of the series.
Unfortunately, the start of the Lost Decade meant that the delayed production transferred into a state called developmental hell and the project was quickly forgotten about. It wasn't until 2006 that serious discussions started on rebooting the project, although, by that date, it had transformed from a television series into a short film.
Sakura Saito produced a majority of music for the film, as her musical outlook was deemed suitable for a film set in the 80s.
Synopsis
Following the dissolution of the Socialist Republic a large number of conscripts are being transitioned from active service to the active reserve. Park Jin-Joo (Kim Hye-jin) is one such conscript returning to civilian life, as they return to a role with MalTra in Pakosc.
Jin-Joo is shown to be quite closed off from the world, and the world from her perspective is shown to be far darker in tone and consistently overcast even if the viewer knows that the weather is fine. Jin-Joo struggles to reconnect with life in Pakosc, such as company meals at the canteen and also doesn't talk much to her family or even attend many gatherings with the Ancestral Study Group.
Jin-Joo's behaviour worries her younger sister Su-Jin (Kim Yoo-jung) and she is able to convince her to attend a local musical performance hosted at the nearby ASG centre. While at this centre, Jin-Joo meets Lena Dziedzic (Eliza Chlebek) and the two start a tentative friendship albeit one hampered by Jin-Joos difficulties, although, helped along by Su-Jin who works to support her sister.
Jin-Joo and Lena's friendship and growing relationship is interrupted by a troublesome gang of returning conscripts that work at Lena's factory and have used their connection to start extracting protection money from the workers. Marzena notes Lena's pending musical career as an opportunity to take money and starts to try and muscle her way into her career, a tactic that is initially successful but fails when Lena gains some confidence.
Marzena tracks Lena down to Jin-Joos apartment and is about to enter alone when she notices Su-Jin who she threatens to enter the apartment and intends to use as a bargaining chip. Jin-Joo is terrified at the prospect but also doesn't want to surrender Lena to the same thugs and visibly struggles, noting this as refusal Marzena even starts to hurt Su-Jin and sends her thugs to finish off Jin-Joo thinking them as just a simple train nerd.
All of this results in Jin-Joo mentally snapping and she unleashes a flurry of blows against her attackers including Marzena and is only stopped from going further by Su-Jin and Lena who comfort the former conscript.
As the police arrive it starts to rain, with the overcast conditions giving way to clear skies with a rainbow in the sky symbolising the first steps in Jin-Joos recovery.
Characters/Cast
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| Kim Hye-jin as Park Jin-Joo | A former conscript in the Territorial Defence Force struggling to return to civilian life. Life from Jin-Joos perspective is shown to be blander and the day is always overcast. |
| Kim Yoo-jung as Park Su-Jin | Jin-Joos sister and someone worried about after noticing some of her behaviour. Su-Jin works to encourage her sister to become more involved in the world and is one of the major influences behind her recovery. |
| Eliza Chlebek as Lena Dziedzic | Lena Dziedzic is employed at Malgravean Automotive Industries, however, she aspires to be a singer and performs across the region. Life from Lena's perspective is shown to be bright and vibrant in sharp contrast to the overcast images from Jin-Joo's viewpoint. |
| Olivia Nielson as Marzena Smolak | Marzena Smolak is an ex-conscript that runs a criminal operation out of an MAI factory in Pakosc. Marzena is the main antagonist of the film and is used to show the evil path some returning soldiers have taken. |