Set in a small Southern city, circa mid-1950s, Tender Rain introduces us to Milton, a white banker, and Ruthie Mimms, an older Black woman, and their deeply familial and complex relationship which profoundly influences Milton’s life. Approaching late-middle-aged and childless, Milton and his wistful wife Dolores are lost in a marital fog of secrets and emotional withholding. Is there a way forward for them? Can Milton seek aid from Ruthie without destroying their relationship? Will the momentary escape Milton finds in the arms of a younger woman spare him the reckoning he must ultimately face? Tender Rain richly observes a layered emotional landscape as it explores intimacy, race, and the assumptions we all make about one another.

PHOTOS BELOW: MICHAEL DAVIS
VIDEO: BRENNA MERRITT