That our rainbows are all the same, but the pots of gold are unique to each of us, is the message of The Rainbow Kid.Courtesy of TIFF
That our rainbows are all the same, but the pots of gold are unique to each of us, is the message of The Rainbow Kid, a modest, not-quite-believable modern fable about coming of age, lost innocence and finding one's own way. In a Canadian indie drama conveyed episodically, we have the protagonist Eugene, a teenager with Down syndrome played with aplomb by Dylan Harman. He's on an odyssey to find the money to keep the apartment he shares with his despondent mother. With a children's-book dream in his head, Eugene leaves Toronto for the countryside, coming across a series of loners living on the fringe. The darkest turns are implausible, but first-time director Kire Paputts gets credit for presenting his picaresque with a pleasing tranquillity. The Rainbow Kid isn't for everyone, but many will find its small gold glittering enough.
Brad Wheeler