As those familiar with off-topic flame wars on the Usenet know by now, very few political issues can be as divisive and emotionally charged as the issue of abortion. This is especially the case in USA, with the never ending abortion debate escalating into acts of violence which, if we are to believe some analysts, could turn into civil war in a foreseeable future. Of course, debate of such magnitude spilled over on the screens, sometimes with mediocre (Citizen Ruth), bad (Schloendorf's screen adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale) and sometimes with good results (If These Walls Could Talk by Nancy Savoca and Cher). The best film among them, Rain Without Thunder, 1992 drama by Gary Bennett, is probably the least known of them all.
Same as in Margaret Attwood's novel The Handmaid’s Tale, the plot of this film is set in the near future and it extrapolates some present-day trends. The year is 2042. Many years ago "pro life" conservatives managed to win their fight, change US Constitution and thus enable legislatures to outlaw abortions. Allison Goldring (played by Ali Thomas) and her mother Beverly Goldring (Betty Buckley) are serving prison sentences under Unborn Child Kidnaping Act, after trying to evade abortion laws by perfoming operation in Sweden. Reporter (played by Carolyn McCormick) is following the story and through the interviews with the people who are familiar with the case, as well as with different politicians, clergymen and other celebrities, we are introduced to the future America where the concept of women's abortion rights is laughable.
While the author of this film, like the authors of almost all other films with the same subject, takes liberal "pro choice" stand, Rain Without Thunder is hardly a propaganda movie. On the contrary, using the mock documentary style to portray bleak distopic future, it allows viewers to draw their own conclusions. Not only that, this film shows "pro life" America as still democratic country - with the people being able to speak freely and have different points of view. Rain Without Thunder also suggests, unlike Attwood's novel (which got the nod by the film-makers in the form of future "Attwood Society"), that the "pro life" regime would be introduced gradually and democratically. "Pro lifers" are given the chance to explain their views and extrapolate on the practical implementation of those views. What makes this film very scary (at least for "pro choice" viewers) is the fact that many times their arguments make perfect sense - instead of gun-wielding fanatics and religious maniacs, they are presented as down-to-Earth politicians, lawyers and bureaucrats.
Of course, this film still isn't perfect. The world, if we don't count some new and exotic slang words didn't change much in fifty years. The fashions and technology is the same, and film didn't try to explain why USA became non-abortion country, and other countries (like Sweden) didn't. Some plot developments in the last part of the movie although plausible, seem too melodramatic. And the last nightmare scene was hardly necessary - the authors had already made their point. But, despite those flaws, Rain Without Thunder is still a rarity among American movies in last few years - a film with intriguing, socially important subject, and in the same time intelligent, ingenious and thought-provoking.
RATING: 8/10 (+++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on September 10h 1999)
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Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/200450-rain-without-thunder
Critic: 8/10
