“After the Rain” by Daniel Bonjour

“After the Rain” is a touching film about one man’s final days with cancer. It chronicles the struggles he has with his own mortality, as well as the impact that has on his loved ones.

The movie is an intimate look into the world of a cancer patient. Daniel Bonjour stars as Ryan Nelson. Bonjour was also the director, and he made sure to give viewers an honest portrait of a human living out their final days. There is certainly no sugar-coating. “After the Rain” does not aim to make light of the situation. It doesn’t offer false glimmers of hope. What the film does, however, is place great importance on our experiences and the relationships we’ve forged throughout our lives.

There are beautiful moments between Ryan and his girlfriend, Paisley. She is clearly in love with him and makes visits to see him daily. (He spends his last days at his mother’s home.) Paisley works in a flower shop and brings Ryan a new kind of flower every day. They also take daily Polaroid photos, much to Ryan’s chagrin. Although they seem to highlight his deterioration, they are very important for Paisley.

Still from a scene in “After the Rain.”
Credit: imdb.com

One of the major themes of “After the Rain” is the importance of living life while you can. Throughout the film, there are flashbacks to times before Ryan become ill. Everyone is happy and joyful, but these scenes end quickly, panning back to the present with a sickly Ryan laying in his bed.

It’s amazing the things you appreciate when time just has the slightest bit of importance. When you don’t have the option of doing it tomorrow. And the phrase, ‘some day,’ loses all meaning.

One way that Ryan chooses to deal with his cancer is by making video blog posts. The name of his blog is “Curtain Call: The End.” It’s a great look into the mind of someone who knows they are living their final days. At times he offers videos that are just normal thoughts. But in one moving scene, Ryan clearly is angry and just fed up with his situation.

His illness has now left him unable to walk, and he returns home to make a video. He rants about his frustration with the term “living with cancer.”

That was conjured up by people who can’t face the truth. Made for us poor bastards who are forced to face it kicking and screaming. And the worst part is they want us to cling to stupid things like hope.

“Well I’m sick of it,” he says. “Cancer has taken everything from me that I care about.” It’s a tough scene to watch, but one that is certainly grounded in reality. He re-watches the video and hovers over the “Upload” tab on his browser. Ultimately he decides not to post it.

Who Should Watch “After the Rain”?

“After the Rain” is a generally somber film, and while not entirely gloomy, is an accurate portrayal of cancer. It shows how the illness destroys a person’s body, destroys relationships and causes pain, grief and loss. The film also moves at quite a slow pace, almost mimicking the movements of a person with cancer. There isn’t really any action — so goes the life of someone at the end stages of cancer.

A scene from “After the Rain” before Ryan’s cancer diagnosis.
Credit: amazon.com

Due to its honesty, this film would probably be hard to watch for someone who has recently lost a loved one to cancer. The moments when Ryan is angry and lashes out at his loved ones probably would hit very close to home for someone who’s gone through a similar experience. Though Ryan is a very sweet man and clearly loves his mother, girlfriend and friends very much, he’s angry that his life will be cut short.

That being said, I did enjoy the movie. It’s heartbreaking, so be prepared for some emotions. But is done in a very tasteful way. And there are certainly some beautiful moments. I think anyone who is interested in well-done cinema that accurately portrays human relationships framed within the last days of a cancer patient would benefit from watching “After the Rain.”

The ways Ryan comes to terms with his impending death seem genuine. Although, since I’ve never had cancer, it’s really hard for someone like me to say. For instance, he creates personal videos for his loved ones to be watched after he dies. At one point Paisley says that those videos could really move and affect people in special, meaningful ways.

“After the Rain” paints a vivid picture of the importance of nurturing our relationships and experiencing our lives as best we can when we are able to. It also reminds us that we need to say, “I love you,” as much as possible to those we cherish before it’s too late.