Let It Rain is not an exact translation of the French title but apparently, according to filmmaker Agnès Jaoui, Talk to Me of the Rain doesn't make any sense in French either (it comes from a popular French song). Regardless of the awkwardness of the title, I absolutely adored this film which I saw at the festival on Friday.
The movie revolves around a feminist scholar who is on the brink of a political career, two would be filmmakers who seek to make a documentary about her and her sister and brother-in-law whom she is visiting. Jaoui plays the scholar and her writing partner Jean-Pierre Bacri plays one of the filmmakers, a supposed journalist who manages to leave little messes wherever he goes. Jaoui and Bacri also starred in the excellent Jaoui 2004 film Look at Me which you should absolutely rent. This time, they have wisely added the wonderful Jamel Debbouze (who French film watchers will recognize from Amelie, Days of Glory and Angel-A) who Jaoui indicated she specifically had in mind for the role of the other young novice filmmaker.
The film has many hysterical sequences (including an all-time sheep classic) but it also tackles some weighty issues of family and politics, including most pointly the treatment of the arab/North African community in France (Debbouze gets a wonderful speech related to this issue). All of the issues are perfectly handled and none of them take you out of the joy of the film. The film even manages to have a happy ending for all (which Jaoui said was not the original intent but made the most sense in the end). It is also filmed in the beauty of Provence (I was happy when I recognized a few of the locations) which certainly doesn't hurt. I do hope that this film is released because I think that it is definitely worth seeing!
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