History Main / RedemptionInTheRain

A standard shot, usually done from above via a crane, that shows the character being gloriously and joyously rained on, [[FauxSymbolism obviously symbolic of a baptism and a new life/rebirth (or simply having a cleansing shower)]]. Most noticeable in the movie ''The Shawshank Redemption'', this trope has been aggressively adopted by TV and these days, you can almost count on some character going through a life-changing event if it's overcast and a low pressure system is moving in.

* Played straight in ''WesternAnimation/{{Beauty and the Beast}}''. It's under the rain that Beast recovers his will to life (after seeing Belle), fights Gaston, spares his life, meets Belle again and is mortally stabbed by [[UngratefulBastard the hunter]]. When Belle confesses her love for him, it's still raining; the water droplets quickly transform into rays of light and Beast's body is lifted up, revived and turned human again. Notably, when he wakes up [[spoiler: as Adam]] it is has stopped raining, since it is up to him and Belle to turn the staff back into humans with their [[TheBigDamnKiss kiss]].

* A variation in ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}''; when Miguel [[spoiler: fully embraces his complicated family and prioritizes their wellbeing over his musical ambitions, he gets found at the bottom of a sinkhole by his family's leonine spirit guide]]. Her triumphant MightyRoar causes water to fall from the stalactites and onto him, his reaction to it (emphasised by the "camera" looking down on him from above) carries all the cleansing and rebirth motifs this trope invokes.

* In ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob,'' Galatea experiences her [[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20080902.html redemption while stuck in a downpour.]]

* A variation in ''WesternAnimation/CoCo''; when Miguel [[spoiler: fully embraces his complicated family and prioritises their wellbeing over his musical ambitions, he gets found at the bottom of a sinkhole by his family's leonine spirit guide]]. Her triumphant MightyRoar causes water to fall from the stalactites and onto him, his reaction to it (emphasised by the "camera" looking down on him from above) carries all the cleansing and rebirth motifs this trope invokes.

* A variation in ''WesternAnimation/Coco''; when Miguel [[spoiler: fully embraces his complicated family and prioritises their wellbeing over his musical ambitions, he gets found at the bottom of a sinkhole by his family's leonine spirit guide]]. Her triumphant MightyRoar causes water to fall from the stalactites and onto him, his reaction to it (emphasised by the "camera" looking down on him from above) carries all the cleansing and rebirth motifs this trope invokes.

* Played with: In Nick Cave's ''And The Ass Saw The Angel'', the sick town is made worse by several years of extremely dirty, greasy rain that kills all the sugar crops.

** ''Eternal'': An unusual version - [[spoiler:liquid kryptonite rains on Davis on his request, apparently killing him.]]

** ''Rabid'': The rain contained the cure for a ZombieApocalypse.

** [[spoiler: "Andy Dufresne - who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean ''on the other side''." - symbolically and literally. ]]
** [[spoiler: [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy "Why he chose enchilada night I will never know."]] ]]

* ''Falling of the Rain'' by Music/BillyJoel subverts it. The rain represents life's struggle (and eventually mortality) in the song, and those who do not mind standing in the rain are saved.
%%%* Hillary Duff's ''Coming Clean''.

* When Simba climbs Pride Rock at the end of ''Disney/TheLionKing'', it begins to rain. A clear case of the rain being "purifying" and symbolizing new life, as the sequence includes a gazelle's skull being dislodged and washed away.

A standard shot, usually done from above via a crane, that shows the character being gloriously and joyously rained on, [[FauxSymbolism obviously symbolic of a baptism and a new life/rebirth (or simply having a cleansing shower)]]. Most noticeable in the movie ''The Shawshank Redemption'', this trope has been aggressively adopted by TV and these days you can almost count on some character going through a life-changing event if it's overcast and a low pressure system is moving in.

* In ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'', a fifty-five-year-old Bruce Wayne appears as Batman for the first time in ten years, just as a thunderstorm breaks the intense heat wave that had been gripping Gotham City. [[HesBack "The rain on my chest is a baptism--I'm born again."]]

* Another Jim Carrey example is near the end of ''Film/BruceAlmighty'', when Bruce realizes that he's not cut out to wield the power of God and surrenders to Him.

* Alex Proyas' ''Film/TheCrow'' does that a lot, especially moving when Eric [[spoiler: crawls out of the grave]] and returns to the cemetery in the end of the film, all the time accompanied by heavy rain. In fact, there's so much rain in the film that it originated one of its most important lines: "It can't rain all the time".
** Also inverted. At the end when things have finally been put right and Eric is at peace, it ''stops'' raining.
* The scene in ''Film/{{Thor}}'' where Thor tries to recover {{Mjolnir}} from SHIELD is a great example: he ''thinks'' he's going to be redeemed by getting his hammer back and returning to his former glory, but the trope is subverted when he fails and he falls into a HeroicBSOD. However, his path to ultimate redemption [[BreakTheHaughty begins with this failure]], so in that sense the trope is actually invoked.

* Another variation from ''Literature/TheMillOnTheFloss'' sees estranged siblings Maggie and Tom Tulliver reconciling during a flood which devastates their community when the eponymous river bursts its banks. [[spoiler: [[DownerEnding Then they both drown]].]]

** In the first season, Faith falls apart in Angel's arms as it storms in ''Five By Five". The scene was quite powerful. According to DVD commentary, though, they were simply forced to film in the rain. But even if the rain in "Five by Five" was coincidental, the producers were clearly aware of the power of this trope. The original script called for a rain machine in the battle scene, but this was dropped for cost reasons - and then the skies cooperated with the producers anyway.

** "Amends" has an odd variation; redemption in the ''snow''. Angel is prepared to let the rising sun turn him into ash despite a desperate Buffy's efforts to talk him down, until a sudden snowstorm (in southern California!) blocks the sunrise. This freak storm is seen rightly as a sign from Someone Higher Up that Angel had a purpose on this earth after all.

** The general idea of the trope is parodied in the fourth season, when Will Bailey - who has spent the episode hoping for a forecasted downpour to discourage late voters from going to the polls and thus prevent them upsetting the narrow victory his (dead) candidate is getting - basically stands in the middle of the street and orders the sky to start raining. Much to his surprise, it does so.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' has a twist on this for [[spoiler: Gabriel]]. When he's caught in a ring of holy fire, he reveals that Sam and Dean are [[spoiler: Lucifer and Michael's vessel, respectively]] and that the reason he's always tortured them so much was because he always knew, but he didn't want it to happen. As Sam and Dean are leaving with Castiel, Dean switches on the sprinklers and tells him not to say that Dean never did anything for him. The scene ends with [[spoiler: Gabriel]] looking from the sprinkler to the Winchesters, looking unsettled. [[spoiler: The next time Gabriel shows up, he helps them, getting killed in the process.]]
* ''Series/SpartacusBloodAndSand'' In episode 5: Spartacus redeems himself in the arena in after he kills Theokoles. Immediately afterward, it begins raining. The rain breaks the heat wave and drought that had been gripping the city. He is thereafter repeatedly referred to as "The Bringer of Rain."

* In episode [[Recap/CommunityS2E24ForAFewPaintballsMore "For a Few Paintballs More"]] of ''Series/{{Community}}'', Troy welcomes the rain of orange paint from sprinklers with his arms open, smiling happily and looking relieved that the plan worked and they have defeted City College. (Though in reality, it was not over yet at that point.)

* Music/TheWho's RockOpera "''Music/{{Quadrophenia}}''" concludes with the stirring "Love, Reign o'er Me", wherein the the schizophrenic main character finds redemption in the rain after having his illusions about the Mod lifestyle of the 60s broken down.

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' episode "Boxing Daria" features the title character storming out of her house to see her boyfriend after her parents admit that they split up for a night after arguing about her. On the way it starts raining, causing a multi-car pileup which she narrowly avoids and forcing her to head into a nearby diner, where she calls Jane and has a touching conversation that leads her to go back home and finish hearing her parents out.

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* In the ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' episode "When It Rains", [[spoiler: Peridot]] stops being antagonistic towards Steven when he runs out into the rain. When she brings her hand out into the rain, choir-like music and VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}-like "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuLAHwrJwrU nice day]]" beeps play in the background.

-->-- '''Evey''', ''Film/VForVendetta''.

* Played with then subverted with Vegeta in Manga/DragonBall Z after he's defeated by Android 18. He's in the rain recalling her mocking him, powers up, ''screams'' the rain clouds away with his ki then vows to surpass Super Saiyan to redeem himself in renewed confidence.

* Roy Batty, when he chooses to save Deckard's life at the end of ''Film/BladeRunner'' -- [[RedemptionEqualsDeath then dies.]]
** In the [[Film/BladeRunner2049 sequel]], [[spoiler: Officer K rescues Deckard from Luv's convoy [[BattleInTheRain in the pouring rain]] but [[HeroicSacrifice sustains fatal]] [[UncertainDoom (maybe)]] [[HeroicSacrifice wounds in the process]]]], the first truly selfless act of his life and proving to himself his humanity.

** In the [[Film/BladeRunner2049 sequel]], [[spoiler: Officer K rescues Deckard from Luv's convoy [[BattleInTheRain in the pouring rain]] but [[HeroicSacrifice sustains fatal wounds in the process]]]], the first truly selfless act of his life and proving to himself his humanity.

* In the miniseries ''Series/WivesAndDaughters'', Molly Gibson and her love get together when it's pouring rain. They assure each other about their mutual love and she promises to marry him, but they cannot go together and hug or kiss each other because there is infection of scarlet fever in his estate. No BigDamnKiss, no HeadbuttOfLove, so the tension is palpable, but it's a very satisfying almost-finale and a great romantic scene. Nice resolution, because Elizabeth Gaskell's novel was left unfinished ([[WordOfGod though her publisher knew they were meant to become a couple]]).

** In the [[Film/BladeRunner2049 sequel]], [[spoiler: Officer K rescues Deckard from Luv's convoy but sustains fatal wounds in the process]], the first truly selfless act of his life and proving to himself his humanity.

* Music/TomWaits' songs occasionally make use of this, as in "Make It Rain" from ''Music/RealGone'' (quoted at the top), and "Little Drop of Poison":
-->''I always feel much cleaner\\
After it rains.''

* Subverted in ''Manga/DeathNote''. Light gets heavily rained on as he [[strike:loses his mind]] has his transforming epiphany that killing lots of people is a very good thing to do.

* SpecOpsTheLine evokes this imagery during the loading screen of the Epilogue of the game. Captain Walker is standing out in the middle of a heavy downpour with his arms outstretched, welcoming the satisfaction of the cleansing water in the barren desert. Fittingly he has blood on his skin that the rain is washing off of his body, symbolically cleansing him of all of his guilt over what happened in Dubai. The Epilogue itself has no dramatic rain scene but it does offer him a chance to attain a redemption of sorts.