MARIA GOVAN
Bahamas,
2008, 93 minutes, Color, film website In Person: Director Maria Govan
Maria Govan's first narrative feature, Rain, begins on the bucolic Ragged Island in the Bahamas. The titular character Rain is a young teen who was raised by her grandmother in this pastoral paradise. When the elderly woman dies, Rain seeks out her mother, whose last known address was in Nassau. Upon landing in Nassau's harbor, Rain meets her mother Glory (Nicki Micheaux) for the first time. The realities of both her new home and new caregiver are so far from those of her former idyll that it takes time to adjust. She is befriended by the school track coach (CCH Pounder), who spots the youngster's grace and speed, so well developed on the beaches of her home island. With a strong visual aesthetic and an even stronger cast, Rain shakes off our postcard perceptions of Bahamian life to show us the complexity that lies between Ragged Island and the Nassau few tourists see.—Toronto International Film Festival, 2008
Maria Govan's first narrative feature, Rain, begins on the bucolic Ragged Island in the Bahamas. The titular character Rain is a young teen who was raised by her grandmother in this pastoral paradise. When the elderly woman dies, Rain seeks out her mother, whose last known address was in Nassau. Upon landing in Nassau's harbor, Rain meets her mother Glory (Nicki Micheaux) for the first time. The realities of both her new home and new caregiver are so far from those of her former idyll that it takes time to adjust. She is befriended by the school track coach (CCH Pounder), who spots the youngster's grace and speed, so well developed on the beaches of her home island. With a strong visual aesthetic and an even stronger cast, Rain shakes off our postcard perceptions of Bahamian life to show us the complexity that lies between Ragged Island and the Nassau few tourists see.—Toronto International Film Festival, 2008