Some movies are suitable for sitting in the theater and feeling the shocking special effects; some movies are suitable for opening a smile and temporarily forgetting their troubles when they are depressed; and some movies are suitable for wrapping a thin quilt on a rainy day in early autumn and watching it quietly, such as "Like Sunday, Like Rain").
Eleanor, who had just lost his job as a waiter at a restaurant, was introduced to twelve-year-old Reggie as a summer babysitter. On the surface, their situation is very different: one is a struggling adult woman who breaks her boyfriend's guitar during an emotional breakdown and cannot do anything about chaotic family relationships; the other is a well-off music prodigy with a very sophisticated way of solving problems - she doesn't want to go to "childish" summer camp, so she gives enough money to the lead teacher.
But such two people, together unexpectedly, are in tune. Eleanor discovers that the seemingly indifferent Reggie has only prematurely lost his enthusiasm for many things and is hiding in an isolated island and does not want to come out, so he takes him across the city by subway to eat Chinese food, walks home through the woods with him, listens to his dead father, and builds a bridge between the world and him. Reggie returned to Eleanor with a responsibility far beyond her age, comforting her after arguing with her ex-boyfriend, introducing her to the story behind the famous painting, accompanying her home to visit her seriously ill father, and always holding an honest and gentle attitude in the face of Eleanor's feelings and the real and unbearable side of the family. Many times, this way of getting along makes it even difficult to tell who is the one being taken care of.
Perhaps because of this, although the Douban score is as high as 8.3, the evaluation of "Like Sunny Day, Like Rainy Day" shows a distinct polarization trend. Some argue that this is still essentially a cheesy love story, and that replacing the male protagonist with a sensible and courteous Shota just adds to the ambiguous taboo color, and Eleanor's parting kiss seems to confirm this speculation. As mentioned above, the film is more like a sex-transfigured low-end Lolita. But in the eyes of those who oppose it, similar interpretations are too superficial. Before they met, the two had their own troubles, and the fundamental reason why they could become friends who got along tacitly was to hope to temporarily escape loneliness through this vacuum period of mutual companionship.
In fact, there is no need to define this feeling. It can be a hazy love that is too late, or it can be a sympathetic feeling that is difficult to find, or it can be a feeling mixed with more complex content, and the creator only intercepts a brief encounter and then gives the right to interpret to the audience.
In fact, the focus of the film is not here. As a musical film, the story revolves more around the impact of music on the protagonist.
In the movie, the pure music of "Like Sunday, Like Rain" runs through all the important plots. The two first met in the rehearsal room, where Eleanor sat in the audience quietly listening to Reggie play the piece he had composed, with both appreciation and envy in his eyes.
Two people are equally lonely, but in a way, their loneliness is different. Reggie's loneliness stems from the genius's "confusion": learning everything is too easy, for him the cello is a dispensable option, does not understand what the day-to-day practice is for, so he once wanted to give up. And Eleanor's loneliness, the key word is "helpless": when he was young, he chose Cornell pipe in order to save money, from being selected for an all-star band, to the disillusionment of the Juilliard School of Music, to selling art performances in the subway, and finally his livelihood was forced to be completely away. Such a process of life decline and countless possibilities being snuffed out, even in a soothing rhythm music film, it is difficult not to empathize and experience that despair.
So, after learning each other's ideas, Eleanor tried to dissuade the talented Reggie from abandoning the cello; Reggie wanted her to return to music, "If you don't show your talent, you are committing a crime." Shortly after the separation, Eleanor received a Cornell tube from Reggie. Then Reggie sat in a pool without water, eleanor stood in front of the steps of the small house, and the two played "Like Sunday, Like Rain" at the same time.
Such a story lacks unexpected twists and turns, nor does it have a happy ending. The promise Reggie had expected of "I teach you to swim" never delivered, and Eleanor was unlikely to have the option to do it again. But the film weakens the sharp contradictions of reality, makes music the possibility of "no longer excluding", and becomes a glimmer of hope for a cure for a cruel life. In the end, what remains is a quiet farewell to the past and a slightly sad expectation for the future.
The reason why it is suitable for watching on a rainy day in early autumn is also because of the soothing rhythm of the movie, the scene of rain and sun, and the way forward is still tortuous, which is similar to the mood of autumn. This encounter, about music and healing, about the life of all people who are lonely after all. Fortunately, at the end of the story, there is still a touch of warmth for the lonely audience: even if there are doomed to regrets, I hope that every encounter can end with "It's really good to know you" as Reggie's parting words. (Zhuge Jianguo)