At its core, Dancing in the Rain, the film directed by Rudy Aryanto from a script by Sukhdev Singh and Tisa TS, is a story about friendship. But it is also a story about health and the many ways it strengthens and weakens bonds.

Dancing in the Rain tells the story of Banyu (Gilang Olivier as a child, Dimas Anggara as an adult), a boy who is diagnosed with some form of autism and nurtured by his doting grandmother, Eyang Uti (Christine Hakim).

In his childhood, he is befriended by the kind-hearted Radin (Joshua Rundengan as a child, Deva Mahenra as an adult) and Kinara (Greesella Adhalia as a child, Bunga Zainal as an adult). Radin and Kinara look out for Banyu; they share a dance in the rain, hence the title of the movie.

The trio’s friendship matures into adulthood. In the meantime, they deal with the superficial concept of “autism”: Getting picked on by random strangers, strange behavior in public places. This is where the movie falters.

Mental or physical illnesses do nothing more than move the plot along. The former manifests itself in the strange behavior of Banyu: He blurts out weird stuff at a science competition, grabs a random lady at a bookshop by her wrist or gets stared at.

Three friends: Banyu forms a friendship with Radin (Deva Mahenra, second right) and Kinara (Bunga Zainal, right).

The movie’s one solid asset is Radin and Kinara’s unceasing care for him and while it is believably acted, it is sketched thinly throughout the movie.

And there is this odd chunk of the movie dedicated to Radin’s mother (played by Djenar Maesa Ayu) and her vendetta against Banyu because he is “not normal”.

It is never fully explained why she hates him so much, making Banyu’s supposed illness nothing more than a badge for oddity. It just makes him a bit weird; it does not debilitate him at all. Banyu’s autism is also not tracked well: there is a mention of therapy, but we do not see it in the movie. Banyu gets a mainstream education and makes everything look so easy (except for the bullying of course).

Radin and Kinara do not get much of a personality either, especially the latter. In the movie, she suffers from meningitis and sports a weakened immune system that she hides from her friends. Her interiority is never fully explored — instead, Dancing in the Rain spends an inordinate amount of time proving to its audience that they are all happy and things work out.

Until they don’t. Physical illnesses plague both Radin and Kinara, and while it could be interesting to explore Banyu’s change of routine, the movie does not allow him that.

The only saving grace of Dancing in the Rain is Eyang Uti, who throws herself into the role of the carer. Christine gets to play a role here: distraught upon hearing Banyu’s diagnosis and deciding to dote on him unwaveringly. The scene where Eyang Uti comforts a distraught Banyu is wonderful — that whole scene itself is great.

Dancing in the Rain tugs at the most reachable of our heartstrings. It taps into cheap, easy sobs. In doing so, the movie does its part. But when the credits roll, it leaves at just that.

Grandmother's love: Eyang Uti (Christine Hakim) comforts her grandson Banyu (Dimas Anggara).

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Dancing in the Rain

(Screenplay Films and Legacy Pictures; 90 minutes)
Director: Rudy Aryanto
Cast: Dimas Anggara, Bunga Zainal, Deva Mahenra, Christine Hakim