Frightfest 2023: ‘Rain, Rain, Go Away’ Review (Short)
Stars: Carolina Lopes, Mike Sweeney-Collier, Gaz Hayden | Written by Thalia Kent-Egan | Directed by Sebastiano Pupino
Director Sebastiano Pupino opens his short film with foreboding music, leading up to a horrific sight that will haunt judgemental conservatives; a tattoo being permanently inked onto a person. To commemorate her recently deceased grandfather, Clari (Carolina Lopes) is getting her first tattoo. As memories linger in her headspace, including a recounting of the titular nursery rhyme, her saddening feelings are broken by an unexpected phone call.
Answering the phone, she receives condolences from an old friend whom she has not heard from in years. As the friend tries to immediately exit the conversation, Clari is determined to understand why they lost contact until this sudden call. The reason is not shared with viewers, although it leaves the lead shaken.
With most of the 13-minute runtime focusing on the central character, it rests on Lopes’ performance, and she terrifically captures this person struggling to comprehend her reality. Credit is also deserved to Mike Sweeney-Collier, who casts a chilling presence as a spectre of unresolved trauma.
While the crumbling reality is initially realised through distracting visual effects, the same cannot be said of Clari’s attempts to correct a mistake. The sequence will leave viewers squirming, as the combination of visuals and sound effects make for an uncomfortable moment to witness. What Pupino and writer Thalia Kent-Egan have crafted with Rain, Rain, Go Away is an effective short film about trauma.
***½ 3.5/5
Rain, Rain, Go Away screened as part of this year’s Frightfest London.
