Being a teenage fan of The X Files, I was aware of The Rapture (1991) as a movie David Duchovny was in before becoming Fox Mulder. Yet the central performance is by Mimi Rogers and she is great in delivering a character who shifts gradually throughout this movie’s ongoing thematic conversation with God and religion. The directorial debut of Michael Tolkin, the screenwriter who adapted The Player for Robert Altman, the movie is both a product of its time period – the early 1990s with its white walled interior apartments, baggy jeans and print flowing dresses – and the type of big issue debate movie you don’t see much in American mainstream cinema but handled in an eerie, unusual manner. At first, the movie flirts as a steamy erotic flick, Rogers is a switchboard operator who gets her kicks as a nighttime swinger. She and her friend Vic (Patrick Bauchau) prowl the streets in noirish clubs for people to pick up (including Duchovny in an eye-catching mullet). Yet underneath the sensual allure is a growing restlessness and unease as Rogers finds herself unsatisfied by her own life and becomes curious over increasing signs that the end of the world is nigh, where believers are all having the same dream. Years ago I spoiled what happened in the movie by reading the Wikipedia plot summary foolishly, yet finally watching it, I was still floored by the disquieting conclusion. The movie shifts along with its protagonist’s spiritual changes, and even if some of the plot moves are schematic to make its ultimate point, Rogers is convincing and commanding. Great supporting work from Will Patton alongside Bauchau and Duchovny. The score is composed by Thomas Newman, offering a distinctive ambience before he would make everything sound like his American Beauty theme. There’s also an effective apocalyptic air generated by its moderate budget and minimal effects; others have also compared it to Todd Haynes’ Safe. The Rapture takes religion seriously, while also remaining questioning and ultimately resolute in following through its character’s arc. Available to rent on Amazon and Google Play in the US (if you have a VPN). Recommended.
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