ANN/THE STAR – Rain Town, the focal setting of the film, is none other than Taiping in Perak, Malaysia, renowned for its abundant rainfall.
The narrative, centres on Choo (portrayed by Chew Kin Wah), alongside his Eurasian spouse Aileen (played by Susan Lankester), and their trio of offspring: Isaac (embodied by Fabian Loo), on the path to becoming a doctor, the easygoing Alex (portrayed by Wilson Lee), and aspiring baker Ruby (brought to life by Pauline Tan).
Choo is a former bank clerk and lantern maker who is a bit of a control freak when it comes to his family, believing that he has every right to determine what path his wife and children should take.
As a result of Choo’s stubbornness and ego, Isaac is forced to give up his aspirations of being a musician to become a doctor, while Ruby’s planned marriage falls apart along with her dream of opening her own bakery.
Meanwhile, Alex is the only one who dares to rebel against his father, though he hasn’t quite has his own life sorted out just yet. In the centre of all this is the eye of the familial storm, Aileen, whose calm and loving demeanour is the only thing that is keeping this fragile family jigsaw puzzle together. But even she is feeling the strain of doing so, and it is only a matter of time before the pieces start falling like the raindrops upon Taiping.
At its core, the story of Rain Town is simple, but the cast’s strong acting elevates it to something much deeper and meaningful. Director Tunku Mona Riza draws out masterful performances from Lankester and Chew, while the younger members of the family also manage to hold their own, especially during the various conflicts that occur.
Credit also to the director, who allows the story to flow without dwelling too much on the multi-cultural aspects of Taiping and its denizens, but instead, letting them be a natural part of the story.
Rain Town has been touted as “first Chinese language film directed by a Malay woman”.
But it is so much more than that. Calling it a “Chinese-language movie” ignores the fact that Rain Town embraces ALL the different languages and dialects that make up the fabric of Malaysian communication. Yes, Cantonese and Mandarin feature heavily (it is a story about a Malaysian Chinese family after all), but Malay, English, Tamil is also spoken in Malaysia, all jumbled and mixed up into that fluid rojak way Malaysians communicate with on another across our entire multi-cultural society.
This isn’t just a “Chinese-language movie”. It’s a “Malaysian language movie”.
Tunku Mona has called this her “homage to Malaysia’s rich cultural tapestry” and a “call to fellow Malaysians to embrace diversity”.
While Rain Town may not be a typical festive film that one expects to watch during Chinese New Year, it is definitely one that all Malaysians can relate to in one way or another.
