Customer Reviews

Walking Between the Raindrops

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Back around 1994-1995, I bought this movie on VHS directly from indie filmmaker Evan Jacobs after seeing a photocopied advertisement in my latest Dischord order. Now, almost 15 years later, I was able to get it on DVD here, through the largest online retailer in the world. What a difference a few years makes. As far as I know, this was Evan's first movie, released through his own production imprint, Andhedenia Films. This is no Fox Searchlight or Miramax, or even Troma or Full Moon: the film was shot for no budget in Black & White, stars Evan as main character Stanley, and features a handful of his friends in front of and behind the camera.

Stanley is a 20-something college student studying film who starts up a conversation with Sarah (played by Rachel Stolte of Whirlpool) in the opening scene, kickstarting an immediate friendship. As Sarah and Stanley spend more time together, Stanley's feelings deepen and he finds himself falling in love with her when he discovers that she already has a boyfriend. Alternating largely between seeing more of Sarah and hanging out with his friends (including John, played by Popeye of Farside), Stanley becomes increasingly agonized and despondent as he struggles with his feelings. Can he muster the courage to tell Sarah how much he cares about her, or will she forever be out of his reach and merely a friend to him?

Pulling a hat trick as writer and director in addition to lead actor, Evan is able to conjure realistic situations, captivating dialogue, and rich and entertaining characters to propel his audience through the movie's relatively brief 75-minute run time, and not once does anything feel staid, dull, or artificial. We understand Stanley and his indecisiveness, and because the characters seem so true, we quickly come to care about them.

Adding somewhat to the film's charm is the low-budget production values. Since this film was essentially one guy setting out to make his own movie, the picture can be grainy and muddled at times, although the sound is usually clear. Also, the movie is presented in Full Screen, so us Widescreen folks have to overlook that. There are no special features, not even a trailer or a chapter menu! Finally, this movie is not mass-produced but rather on-demand, so the artwork, while clear, is minimal (in keeping with the look of the movie, I suppose). You get the B&W cover art with a DVD that has the cover image emblazoned upon it with a glossy finish, all housed in a standard Amaray-style DVD case. While the presentation is imperfect (and probably will be until the day Anchor Bay decides to restore it), this is more than made up for with an awesome punk and hardcore soundtrack including tunes from Swiz, Ignite, Gameface, Stone Telling, and Farside.

From here, Evan went on to make other movies under his Anhedenia Films imprint, including Safety In Numbers, The Toll Collector, Watching A Movie, and Angela's Home Movie. All of these are honestly worth a watch (even the highly experimental Watching A Movie), and by buying these you'll be supporting a true independent filmmaker as well as a nice guy. Yet, I've always considered this flick to be his best, maybe because I have a soft spot for it by this point. A small movie with a simple plot, but strong and memorable characters who, if you grew up in the punk and hardcore scenes, could've been your best friends. Check it out.