A single drop of rain always comes before the storm.

RAIN, a fan film by filmmaker and performer Maya Glick was borne out of a need to showcase empowered women of color in Hollywood’s superhero pantheon. Inspired by the “punk” incarnation of one of the most powerful mutants to have ever walked the planet; RAIN centers on Ororo Munroe–most commonly known as Storm of the X-Men.

In Maya Glick’s words RAIN is “a loving tribute the most bad-ass of all superheroes during her most bad-ass era.” The idea and execution of the fan film first gained traction in October 2013 during the film’s first Kickstarter run. The project ended up making a little over its $10,000 goal which would help cover production costs. A second, finishing-funds Kickstarter in June 2014 raised an additional $12,000 (Disclosure: I was a backer for both projects). Fast forward to now where the film has finally come to life and released in all it’s glory.

While the screenplay is influenced heavily by Chris Claremont and Barry Windsor-Smith’s comic LifeDeath, the fan film is an original story written by Maya Glick, Jeff Stolhand, and Zane Rutledge. As I watched the film all I could keep repeating was “wow, this is really good.” Even if you had no idea about all the preparation, training, and faith to get the project completed (all of which was shared with backers during the creation of the film), it shows clear as day in the resulting visual piece. The dialogue is balanced, the characters are intriguing, the special effects are very well done and you actually feel compelled to watch the entire 23-minute length film.

RAIN is an incredible show of what can happen when you mix a little passion, talent, lots of team work, and (of course) the help of the Internet. RAIN is much more than just ‘another fanfilm’, as it seriously and successfully takes on a dark story which explores the fragile emotional state of Ororo, who has been mentally broken by the dubious MNI group (Mutant Normalization Institute). Her torturous experience with MNI leads her to essentially forget she has powers and forget her own identity.

Watch the film below and share your thoughts in the comments. All I can say after seeing this is–That’s bad-ass.

PS – Marvel movie watchers should know the drill already–make sure to keep watching RAIN after the credits!