Overview
A father's love drives him to desperate measures in a world of hardship and faith.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- compassionate
- witty
- desperate
- social realist cinema night
- british film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a compassionate, socially grounded working-class drama that finds underlying humor in desperate circumstances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ken Loach depicts unemployment, poverty, religion, and family strain through an ordinary Manchester household.
Bob refuses to accept charity and escalates his efforts to obtain his daughter’s communion dress despite mounting moral risks.
The film balances Bob’s increasingly desperate schemes with good-hearted comic observation of family and community life.
The First Communion and its costly dress connect Catholic identity, parental devotion, poverty, guilt, and salvation.
Films like Raining Stones, and why
Kes
shared british social realism, working class hardship, and compassionate humor
I, Daniel Blake
shared ken loach social realism, economic precarity, and morally pressured protagonists
The Full Monty
shared socially conscious drama, working class community, and humor amid hardship
My Name Is Joe
shared british working class realism, unemployment anxiety, and family pressure
Movie Details
- Director
- Ken Loach
- Release Date
- 1993-09-09
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (146)
Cast
- Bruce Jones
- Julie Brown
- Gemma Phoenix
- Ricky Tomlinson
- Tom Hickey
- Mike Fallon
- Ronnie Ravey
- Lee Brennan
- Karen Henthorn
- Christine Abbott
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Raining Stones about?
- A proud, impoverished Manchester father spirals into morally dangerous schemes to give his daughter the communion dress he believes she deserves.
- What is Raining Stones like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Raining Stones as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Raining Stones violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Raining Stones as moderate.
- What did critics think of Raining Stones?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a compassionate, socially grounded working-class drama that finds underlying humor in desperate circumstances.
- Which films are like Raining Stones?
- Films with a similar feel include Kes, I, Daniel Blake, The Full Monty, and My Name Is Joe.
- How long is Raining Stones?
- Raining Stones runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch Raining Stones?
- In United States, Raining Stones streams on Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
