The Scent of Rain & Lightning

source: The Scent of Rain & Lightning

Billy Croyle is being commuted from prison for the crime of murder. The reason is given as "something to do with his son." Don't dwell on it. He was found guilty of killing a Linder couple. Jody Linder, the surviving daughter is upset. However we quickly discover, as does Jody, that Billy may be innocent. Billy is an uncouth drunk who everyone says belongs in jail, and "some folks" claim he is innocent, although jail is a good place for him. Jody Linder puts on her Nancy Drew persona and digs into the past in a film filled with flashbacks that are sometimes confusing. The film is not "Winterbone" but has plot similarities. Worth a view if you think you would like a western mystery. BTW that scent is ozone. Guide: F-word. Brief sex and brief nudity.

I will not rate or review this movie. It may be brilliant. Just to say that I noticed it because it was classified on the Net as Western. It is not a Western. Westerns can be a lot of things, but this ain't it.

Although I like the mystery genre this time I wasn't completely satisfied. There was just too much going on, back and forth from the present to the past, too many characters, that results in a too confused story to follow. The acting was good though, certainly nothing bad to say about that. The filming was good too. Just too bad it was all that confusing and a also bit slow at times. Why they put this movie in the western genre is also a mystery to me. It's not because it's in Texas and that people wear cowboy hats that it's a western. But the movie is worth a watch, you won't get bored. I won't watch it a second time though, once is enough.

When it ended. This movie had to set a record for the most flash-backs of any film regardless of running time. The director just had to add an irrelevant musical interlude for the "arsty-craftsy" crowd. It would have helped if all the "Billy Bobs" and there were a lot of them, wore rodeo numbers or at least name tags so we could tell them apart. By the time this thing ended I had lost all interest in who killed who and just wanted it to be over. What a waste.

This is the kind of film that sticks with you, and makes you want to watch again. The story isn't told in a traditional way, which can make it feel unsettling and even disorienting at times, but in an interesting and engaging way.

Truly awful film. Dull , dazed and confused I was just like the script and the acting. So slow and dull its not even worth spending an iota of time reviewing. Maika Monroe cannot act and the lack of characterization made it worse. Give it a fancy name but you cannot polish a turd I am afraid!

The movie stinks. I can't stand the back and forth business with no explanation as to what is going on. There were constant flashbacks to the past like we are supposed to know who all the characters are. It started at the beginning and we hadn't even gotten to know the present characters so that makes it frustrating and confusing. The entire movie goes back and forth. The lead character's trying to figure out who murdered her parents years ago but she never comes to a conclusion; she seems to give up altogether towards the end. What was the point? We never find out 'who done it!" I can't stand movies that don't have a conclusion. Another thing I didn't like is the filming technique "shaky-camera syndrome" and it was so random. Too bad no one on the movie making staff had the guts to tell the director he did a terrible job of trying to tell a story and that he omitted 99% of the answers.

After watching this garbage twice(once with subtitles) I am still in the dark as to "who dun it". What a convoluted bewildering story made all the more so by time shifting and similar looking suspects. 0 stars!! Waste of time.

I recently saw this movie at the Atlanta Film Festival. The acting was great, the colors used were amazing, and the story was interesting enough to keep the audience captivated. Normally with those three items mentioned, this would be a perfect movie. Unfortunately, parts of the movie left the audience confused. You weren't sure exactly who was who at times, and the director admitted some viewers will be confused. The beginning dragged on a bit, and it took much longer than needed to realize you were watching two different time lines. This type of movie is difficult to direct and besides the character confusion, I honestly believe the director did his best to portray the two time-lines in order to give the full story. It's a movie worth watching, but make sure you don't lose your focus or else you may get lost.