The film was written, produced\u00a0and directed by the Canarsie resident, and it focuses on the mental health struggles of Black men when life gets hard. Stukes said a lot of the film’s material comes from his own experience growing up in the borough.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a particular scene in the film that was based on a real-life situation that I was going through during a dark time in my life,” he told BK Reader. “I was very suicidal and wanted to do something traumatic and drastic. However, it all changed when my then-girlfriend suggested I go to therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like many people, he was reluctant to seek help because the\u00a0\u201cyou\u2019re crazy\u201d stigma seems to automatically pop\u00a0up when seeking out mental health help, he said. After giving it some thought, however, he decided to give it a chance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re in a vulnerable state and at your lowest, and you\u2019re used to doing harmful things, you want to have another option,” he said.<\/p>\n
Stukes said he eventually was selected\u00a0to join an eight-week program at\u00a0Black Men Heal<\/a>,\u00a0an organization that provides mental health services, psycho-education, and other community resources to men of color.<\/p>\n “Those eight weeks turned into a year that would ultimately change my life,” Stukes said.<\/p>\n What Stukes learned from those sessions helped him write The Way The Rain Pours, a\u00a0film largely shot in Kensington. The film follows Fidel, the main character played by Michell C. Clark,\u00a0who’s life turns upside down after his grandmother\u2019s passing. Suddenly, his world shifts, and he now has to maneuver through the stages of grief, mental health awareness, and the financial pressures that are placed on him.<\/p>\n Throughout this journey, Fidel encounters a young homeless boy who is trying to figure a way to get the necessities he needs to make it to the next day. Fidel gives the young man more than what he asks for when he needs\u00a0it the most.<\/p>\n To include that moment between Fidel and the young man was\u00a0intentional because it\u2019s the support Stukes wished he had during his teenage years.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was in high school, I didn\u2019t realize, nor acknowledge, how severely affected my mental health was because we didn\u2019t have discussions about it,\u201d he said. \u201cDuring those years, I\u00a0encountered a lot of traumatic events, including physical altercations that would either involve me or those around me.”<\/p>\n Looking back, Stukes said he wished someone would have told him to protect his mental health better and give himself some grace to remember that there’s no\u00a0manual to life. “So relax, it will get better,” he said.<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> for details on the May 11 screening of the film. Watch the trailer of The Way The Rain Pours here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ![\"38f743a0-b128-4533-beb7-a8e948209b35img_0079\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/38f743a0-b128-4533-beb7-a8e948209b35img_0079.jpeg;w=960.jpeg\"\/)
\n. Photo By Julius Stukes
<\/p>\n![\"the-way-the-rain-pours-1_16_2025mp4_000429929\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/the-way-the-rain-pours-1_16_2025mp4_000429929.png;w=960.png\"\/)
\n.”The Way The Rain Pours” is a short film by Brooklyn filmmaker Julius Stukes. Photo: Supplied\/ Julius Stukes
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