If you don't like it, it's because you are too accustomed to digital effects.nIt's not polished, it's not aiming for beauty shots or breathtaking panoramas; instead, it's about the lived-in world of the characters, each of whom feels more like a real person than a film archetype. It's Real, because it didn't feel cinematic until the end. It felt like it was being watching as a third person. It doesn't feel like your typical polished Hollywood drama. This film is gritty, personal, and at times, uncomfortable.
It puts you in the everyday, mundane reality of life in LA when the rain doesn't fall often enough to wash away the grime, but just enough to highlight the cracks in the city's fakeness.
From the opening scenes, the film feels less like you're watching a story unfold and more like you're living it-up close like from your phone and that is actually a scene in there. It is raw, and unfiltered. The camera work is intentionally unrefined, almost voyeuristic. It's not polished, it's not aiming for beauty shots or breathtaking panoramas; instead, it's about the lived-in world of the characters, each of whom feels more like a real person than a film archetype.
The lack of cinematic glamor might throw some viewers off, but that's exactly what sets this story apart. The dialogue isn't crisp and witty; it's awkward, messy, and punctuated with silences that speak volumes. The performances aren't showy, but they're deeply affecting. You don't just watch the characters' struggles-you feel them, up close, like you're right there with them, caught in the same downpour of uncertainty and disillusionment.
This is a film about LA, but not the LA that we usually see on screen. It's the LA of the in-between moments-when the sun's down, the traffic's slow, and people are left to confront the choices they've made in life. The rain, sparse and unexpected, becomes a metaphor for all the things we ignore in the dry spells of our lives. It's not about redemption or escape; it's about survival and finding some kind of meaning in the mess.
There's a sense of quiet desperation that runs through the story, a realism that many films shy away from. It doesn't try to uplift or offer easy resolutions, and in that way, it feels more authentic than most dramas that claim to depict real life. It's a hard watch at times, but that's what makes it memorable.
In a world where so many films feel designed to entertain, "When It Rains in LA" feels designed to make you think-about the things we ignore, the lives we overlook, and the moments we miss when we're too busy looking for something bigger. It's not a movie you simply watch; it's a story you experience.
