A brief summary for "Vagabundo en la lluvia" (Tramp in the rain) could be: 3 women in an isolated house and a man, a tramp, roaming outside.
Angela (Christa Linder) - young, beautiful, apparently happily married, leaves a costume party to go to her house by the lake - a peaceful and lonely place. Angela belongs to the upper class and is basically optimistic and romantic. When Angela is driving to her house, she's unknowingly bringing with her another passenger that's lying in her car, sleeping in a drunken stupor - Monica. Later on, in tense circumstances, Monica will be discovered and brought to the house.
Monica (Ana Luisa Peluffo) belongs also to the upper class. She's older than Angela and feels bitter and disillusioned by life. Tonight Angela has an appointment with Raquel (Norma Lazareno).
Raquel is young and good-looking, but she was born on the other side of the fence. She always had to fend for herself. She has no illusions and knows no scruples.
And finally there's the tramp (Rodolfo de Anda). The world hasn't treated him well. All he feels now is frustration and anger. In the beginning he seems meek and harmless. Soon one will notice that very near the surface there's a darker side to him, there's a great rage waiting to explode.
Inside the house three women, three lives, three different perspectives. The tension is mounting, the masks are falling and anger is rising. Outside the rain falls and the tramp is somewhere nearby - rain soaking him, cold in his bones. Something is bound to happen.
In "Vagabundo en la lluvia" the story and dialogues are well-written and the characters feel three-dimensional. The words are very important to shape and define the characters and the situation in which they are trapped. But "Vagabundo en la lluvia" doesn't feel like a theater play. The cameras capture the images discreetly and effectively and "Vagabundo en la lluvia" is and feels like a film - the words don't become obtrusive, but quite the contrary, they flow effortlessly with the images.
I wouldn't recommend this film for traditional Taboada's fans that love him just for his horror films ("Hasta el viento tiene miedo", "El libro de piedra" etc.). "Vagabundo en la lluvia" is not a horror film, I would rather label it as a psychological thriller. But it's not a thriller in the usual sense - it has no suspense, no real violence to speak home about and no gore. The story unfolds, the clouds gather more and more... and, eventually, as an uninvited guest, violence will come. Not necessarily in the way you expect.
"Vagabundo en la lluvia" is not a remarkable film, but nonetheless it's interesting, it has a good story told well, and solid characters with their own voices.
