All day at Arrow Video FrightFest, Discovery Screen two has been commandeered by films from the First Blood strand. The initiative grants those new to genre filmmaking a chance to debut their work for the FrightFest audience. Following both Cerebrum and The Group, the next film on this year’s line-up is Walking Against the Rain.
Written and directed by Scott Lyus, Walking Against the Rain is set in the aftermath of a world-changing event. Society has eroded to almost nothing and two strangers Blair (Sophia Eleni) and Tommy (Reece Douglas) are doing their best to survive. Each exists on their own, but both have different conditions. Blair appears to have adapted to the new normal quite well. She spends her days foraging for food and her evenings holed up in her yurt. It’s through Blair that the viewer enters the story. The first few moments are spent following her day, and with no apparent threat, all seems quite lovely. It’s with the introduction of Tommy that the danger is presented.
Contrasting with Blair’s fairly serene routine, Tommy is living the life more commonly seen in an apocalyptic movie. Whereas Blair was slowly wandering around, Tommy literally bursts onto the screen as he races out of his sanctuary pursued by a deadly creature known as The Forsaken. His introduction breaks the status quo, generating a much needed adrenaline surge. The two find each other via their radios. In a stroke of luck, both of them are on the same frequency and quickly agree to meet in real life to try and figure out their new world situation. Along the way, the pair each go on a journey of self-discovery, the scares occasionally pop up, but are much more of a background affair.
Filled with long conversational scenes, Walking Against the Rain is unlike most apocalyptic movies. Its pace is meandering, the tone moody, and the focus is the emotional complexities of the characters. The decision to set the film’s location within the United Kingdom may have been motivated by budget and the pandemic, but it works. Filmed in the Lake District, Walking Against the Rain showcases some of the UK’s more gorgeous landscapes. The setting becomes its own character, one that echoes the aching loneliness of Blair and Tommy. It almost demonstrates the vastness of the more rural part of the country and dials the characters and audience back to nature.
This being a first-time feature, Walking Against the Rain is a little wobbly in places. Whilst a lot of these are the result of high-ambitions within the confines of the budget, some are not. The script suffers from an occasional misstep, and there are a few headstraching plot-holes (mainly around the battery-life of the radio). All are minor niggles and common errors made by many in the directors chair for the first time. Most importantly, they are easy to resolve in future projects.
The creators of The Forsaken give Lyus’ debut with some genre pedigree. Dan Martin whose prior work includes The Girl on the Third Floor, Possessor, and Censor, brought the image of the creatures to life. Inside the suit though is another recognisable name on the circuit – James Swanton – an actor who has played all manner of creepy things in films such as Host, Dashcam, and Broadcast Signal Intrusion. Their involvement is sure to generate some buzz and will likely draw in more eyes. Both Martin and Swanton are well versed in working on low-budget productions, though this is likely to be one of the more micro-projects either have worked on in a while. Martin does great work with the limited budget and Swanton could make a paper bag terrifying. The slight niggle comes from the slightly derivative appearance of The Forsaken. Part xenomorph, part Creature from the Black Lagoon, the design is clearly homaging the two classics of horror, but with some interesting ideas floating within other areas of the film; it’s a shame this element doesn’t follow suit.
Melancholy and meandering, Walking Against the Rain is an atypical apocalypse movie. With more time spent on the human aspect than the threat, it requires patience and investment from the viewer to enjoy.
Walking Against the Rain
Summary
A promising debut, Walking Against the Rain has a couple of missteps, but they are outweighed by the intriguing ideas and atmosphere created.
Walking Against the Rain was reviewed at Arrow Video FrightFest 2022.
