Tai yang yue

music in movies are seldom chosen randomly. To Rain Dogs, the repeating song at half way and at the end is a beautiful rendition of Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child. And that tells you a lot.

Saw this at TIFF, never seen anything from the director before and I'm surprised that this is a very nicely done, subtly sentimental song for the timelessness of youth and the rite of passage in growing up.

The story revolves around Tung, the younger brother of a fatherless family somewhere in Malaysia. He is inarticulate, sees things in black and white, careless and sometimes clueless. A total opposite of his street smarts older brother.

The film centres around events in Tung's life and how he deals with everything, trying to grow-up and before his mom's eyes. There are no roller coaster rides, but the anxiety, curiosity, fears and maybe dreams of teenager is depicted here. Nicely done, but the pace of the film may be too slow and everyday-like.

Oh, and the uncle's acting is fantastic.

The FOCUS: First Cuts project seemed to have stalled into making the local screenings despite last year's fanfare during the project launch, and it's probably because of the lacklustre box office sales that seemed to add to the reluctance. Rain Dogs (and the other remaining movie My Mother is a Belly Dancer) were given new lease of life at the local halls in a one-off weekend screening, which allowed me to view this movie which have been making waves at major film festivals overseas.

Maybe I did not get the appeal of the movie, as I found it difficult to seek that iota of connection with Rain Dogs. Perhaps I haven't been the kampong boy nor experienced the type of life that the protagonist led. What I do see though, are two separate stories telling the life of Tung, in the first where he's in KL with his brother, and the story dwells on the excellent brotherly love between the two boys, while the second, his exodus from home into the solace of relatives, where he experiences puppy love and somehow finds strength in character, a departure from his relatively whimsical earlier self.

Directed by Ho Yuhang, Rain Dogs tells of Tung's development from boy to man, and maybe, just maybe, his innate search for a father figure in his life. We see that his brother served as the person he admires, and one who takes care of him, while in the later stages, it becomes his uncle, and even more interestingly, the suggestion of Tung being the big brother whom his nephew looks up to. And I thought while Tung develops his bravado, he still retained a certain gawky demeanour, which is actually true of anyone coming of age.

Given the two disparate settings of the movie before and after the opening credits, it allowed for some contrast between the city and the smaller town, with the city being portrayed as dangerous - gangsters, pimps and their broads stalking their next prey, snooker parlour gangsters, and even the blatant corruption amongst white collar workers. The small towns on the other hand, provides opportunity for growth, family bonding, and even a whiff of romance in the air.

There are plenty of picturesque scenes in the movie which allows for some quiet contemplation, and some touching moments too where and when characters connect. If you keep your eyes peeled at the minutest of details, you will probably break out into a smile or two. One of my favourite scenes involved a beer can, which I thought was very subtle, and I actually burst out laughing, much to the puzzlement of the rest. Also, I would like to highlight that the movie is almost devoid of songs save for one, which in my opinion, epitomizes my general feeling towards watching the movie.

Fans of Yasmin Ahmad will also relish seeing their favourite director in front of the camera rather than behind it. Playing the aunt of Tung, she speaks Cantonese quite flawlessly in her role, and yes, she can act too you know? In case you're not aware, Yuhang has also starred in Yasmin's movie - Rabun.

Rain Dogs may not be everyone's cup of tea, but this is just as diverse as the FOCUS: First Cuts project sets itself out to be.

Rain Dogs is an art film which draws emotions from a profound place somewhere deep inside our being. It is a slow paced drama of the coming of age set against a nostalgic backdrop of small towns and inner cities. Even though the time is not clearly stated in the movie, it feels like the seventies juxtaposed in contemporary settings.

This film is raw and natural. It takes its time to unravel the human nature from a boy's point of view. Snippets of seemingly unrelated scenes are weaved together by a thread of ambiguity, and subtle messages are intertwined to evoke wistful reveries. For those who grew up in small provincial towns, this will draw you back into the hey days of your youth when everything was hopeful and filled with expectations. It is in the understated events that gives Rain Dogs its strength. It leaves you to interpret what you want and not be dictated into swallowing what the director feels you should. The darker side of Kuala Lumpur is featured in a very bleak and somber mood. Although it doesn't represent the city in its entirely, the harrowing reality is that these dreary places still exists even until today.

Wai Hung Liu, a veteran Hong Kong actor, supports an impressive role as the laid back, beer guzzling and unpredictable uncle. Pete Teo and Yasmin Ahmad are also worth mentioning since both their forte are not in acting but in singing-songwriting and movie directing respectively. It is quite a treat to watch them shed away their already renowned image and put on another thinking hat for the movie.

Rain Dogs may not be the kind of movie that storms in like a blockbuster but it will definitely continue to shower on you for as long as you can remember. It speaks to you in ways only an intimate friend can and that's what Ho Yuhang, the writer and the director, does best. In the closing of this esoteric tale the gospel song 'Sometimes I feel like a motherless child' drowns you with an atmospheric after taste of what you can expect of the director in the near future.