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Under the Rainbow (2023) movie poster

Characters & Themes

Under the Rainbow (2023) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2023 · 102 mins · French
Directed by
Bryan Marciano
Starring
Djanis Bouzyani, Finnegan Oldfield, Valérie Lemercier, Paul Jeanson, Elsa Guedj, Gérard Gaudron
Budget
$3.3M

This film follows a group of young LGBTQ+ individuals who have become homeless, finding refuge in an association. While seemingly comedic, the story reveals the underlying struggles and shattered lives of those striving to exist and find their place in society. Faced with a six-month deadline to secure employment, housing, and self-acceptance, the association's leaders, Noëlle and Alex, must also confront their own personal challenges and question their commitment to helping others.

On this page (8)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (6)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (3)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Movies like Under the Rainbow
  8. 8 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Under the Rainbow (2023)

Where can you watch Under the Rainbow? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Video, Fandango At Home and Google Play Movies: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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6 main characters · contains spoilers

Under the Rainbow Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of Under the Rainbow (2023), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Rollo Sweet

    A little person living in a Kansas homeless shelter who dreams of Hollywood stardom. He is resourceful and determined, climbing to fix a radio antenna before the fall that triggers the story’s crossover into the California hotel world.

    • ✨ Dreamer
    • 🧭 Outsider
    • 🌪️ Determined
  • Annie Clark

    A long-suffering employee at MGM who becomes entangled in a tangle of mistaken identities and dangerous guests at a Culver City hotel. She navigates the chaos with grit, while the looming threat of a Nazi agent heightens the tension around her daily work.

    • 🎬 Hollywood insider
    • 🧭 Target of intrigue
  • Otto Kriegling

    A Nazi secret agent pursuing a hidden map, his calculated threats and tactical moves push the plot toward a deadly confrontation affecting hotel guests and studio staff.

    • 🕵️ Secret agent
    • ⚔️ Threat
  • Bruce Thorpe

    A Secret Service escort protecting the Austrian Duke and Duchess, his presence adds political tension and professional restraint to the chaotic hotel setting.

    • 🛡️ Protector
    • 🧭 Diplomatic pressure
  • Duke

    An Austrian nobleman staying at the hotel, accompanied by a Secret Service escort. His mission intersects with espionage and the era’s pre-war tensions surrounding the film industry.

    • 👑 Noble
    • 🕵️‍♂️ Target of intrigue
  • Duchess

    The Duke’s wife, navigating the perilous political climate while maintaining poise amid hotel chaos and looming threats.

    • 👑 Royal
    • 🌐 Political target

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 09:55

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Setting

Where and When Does Under the Rainbow Take Place?

The setting of Under the Rainbow (2023): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

1938

Set in 1938, on the eve of World War II, the period captures late-Depression-era life and the rising tensions of the pre-war world. Hollywood's studio culture is in full swing, a time of big productions and political undercurrents. The story threads through back-stage politics, celebrity life, and the dream factory that defined the era. The narrative’s dream structure refracts these times through a fantastical lens.

Location

Kansas, Culver City, California

The story shifts between a Kansas homeless shelter and a hotel in Culver City, California, near the MGM Studios. Kansas provides the gritty, hopeful backdrop of a Depression-era dreamer on the edge of the film world. Culver City serves as the glamorous yet chaotic hub of the movie industry, with the hotel hosting a diverse cast of guests and crew. The backdrop also spans the studio lot where productions for the era unfold.

  • 🏞️ Kansas
  • 🏙️ Culver City
  • 🎬 MGM Studios vicinity

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 09:55

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3 major themes

Under the Rainbow Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is Under the Rainbow (2023) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Illusion

    The film centers on how appearances and identities can be deceptive, with characters masquerading within a dreamlike hotel world. The line between reality and performance blurs as misidentified signals propel the plot. When the story reveals itself as a dream from a Kansas shelter, the illusion lands with a quiet, poignant truth.

  • Dream of Fame

    A Hollywood dream drives the characters, pushing them to be seen, chosen, or rescued from hardship. The hotel guests, crew, and little people populate a world built on spectacle and recognition. The pursuit of fame exposes both aspiration and vulnerability, showing how fame can elevate or distort lives.

  • Conflict & Intrigue

    Nazis, secret agents, and a hidden map intrude on the film-world, turning a routine gathering into a perilous chase. Espionage threads through hotel and studio corridors, testing loyalties and forcing quick, dangerous choices. The intrusion of politics into entertainment highlights a broader vulnerability of the era.

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 09:55

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Character & theme questions

Under the Rainbow Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about Under the Rainbow (2023): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is the movie set?

The story takes place in two main locations: a homeless shelter in Kansas and a hotel in Culver City, California, near MGM Studios. Kansas provides a gritty, hopeful backdrop while Culver City represents the glamorous but chaotic world of 1930s Hollywood.

  • kansas
  • culver city
  • mgm studios
  • homeless shelter
  • hollywood
  • setting
Q2

When does the story take place?

The film is set in 1938, on the eve of World War II. This was the late-Depression era, a time when Hollywood's studio system was at its peak and pre-war tensions were rising throughout Europe.

  • 1938
  • world war ii
  • depression era
  • 1930s
  • historical period
Q3

What does the Illusion theme mean in the movie?

The film explores how appearances and identities can be deceptive within a dreamlike hotel world. The line between reality and performance blurs as misidentified signals drive the plot. When the story reveals itself as a dream from a Kansas shelter, the illusion carries a quiet, poignant truth.

Foreshadowing: The crossover from Kansas to California sets up the dreamlike nature of the Hollywood sequences.

  • illusion
  • dream
  • reality
  • identity
  • performance
  • mask
Q4

What is the Dream of Fame theme about?

A Hollywood dream drives the characters, pushing them to be seen, chosen, or rescued from hardship. The hotel guests and crew populate a world built on spectacle and recognition. The pursuit of fame exposes both aspiration and vulnerability, showing how fame can elevate or distort lives.

  • fame
  • hollywood dream
  • aspiration
  • celebrity
  • stardom
Q5

How does the Conflict & Intrigue theme play out?

Nazis, secret agents, and a hidden map intrude on the film world, turning a routine gathering into a perilous chase. Espionage threads through hotel and studio corridors, testing loyalties and forcing dangerous choices. The intrusion of politics into entertainment highlights the broader vulnerability of the pre-war era.

  • nazi
  • espionage
  • secret agent
  • spy
  • map
  • conflict
  • world war ii
Q6

Who is Rollo Sweet?

Rollo Sweet is a little person living in a Kansas homeless shelter who dreams of Hollywood stardom. He is resourceful and determined, shown climbing to fix a radio antenna before the fall that triggers his crossover into the California hotel world.

  • rollo sweet
  • little person
  • homeless
  • kansas
  • dreamer
  • hollywood
Q7

Who is Annie Clark?

Annie Clark is a long-suffering employee at MGM who becomes entangled in mistaken identities and dangerous guests at a Culver City hotel. She navigates the chaos with grit while the looming threat of a Nazi agent heightens the tension around her daily work.

  • annie clark
  • mgm
  • employee
  • hotel
  • culver city
  • chaos
Q8

Who is Otto Kriegling?

Otto Kriegling is a Nazi secret agent pursuing a hidden map. His calculated threats and tactical moves push the plot toward a deadly confrontation affecting both hotel guests and studio staff.

  • otto kriegling
  • nazi agent
  • secret agent
  • espionage
  • villain
Q9

Who is Bruce Thorpe?

Bruce Thorpe is a Secret Service escort protecting the Austrian Duke and Duchess. His presence adds political tension and professional restraint to the chaotic hotel setting.

  • bruce thorpe
  • secret service
  • duke
  • duchess
  • protection
  • political
Q10

Who are the Duke and Duchess?

The Duke is an Austrian nobleman staying at the hotel with his wife, the Duchess. They are accompanied by a Secret Service escort. Their mission intersects with espionage and the era's pre-war tensions surrounding the film industry.

  • duke
  • duchess
  • austrian
  • noble
  • royalty
  • hotel guest
Q11

What is the significance of the Kansas homeless shelter?

The Kansas homeless shelter serves as the real-world anchor of the story. It is where the protagonist Rollo Sweet lives and dreams of escaping to Hollywood. The shelter represents the harsh reality that the film's fantastical Hollywood sequences ultimately stem from.

Foreshadowing: The shelter appears at the beginning and becomes meaningful when the dream nature of the Hollywood story is revealed.

  • kansas
  • homeless shelter
  • reality
  • dream
  • poverty
Q12

What is the Hollywood setting like in 1938?

The film captures Hollywood's studio culture at its height during the 1930s. The Culver City hotel near MGM Studios serves as a glamorous yet chaotic hub where back-stage politics, celebrity life, and the dream factory of the era unfold. The studio lot hosts productions for the era, creating a vivid backdrop of old Hollywood.

  • hollywood
  • mgm studios
  • culver city
  • studio system
  • 1930s
  • celebrity

Movie threads

More Movies Like Under the Rainbow, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Under the Rainbow tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies with whimsical chaotic hopefulness like Under the Rainbow

Stories where a whirlwind of absurdity gives way to a hopeful new beginning. Looking for more movies like Under the Rainbow? This collection features fast-paced, whimsical stories with a chaotic feel that ultimately resolve with a hopeful, happy ending. If you enjoyed the mix of dreamlike absurdity and lighthearted optimism in Under the Rainbow, you'll find similar comedies and dramas here.

  • whimsical
  • chaotic
  • hopeful
  • dreamlike
  • absurd
  • fast-paced
  • Tone: whimsical, hopeful
  • Pacing: fast, chaotic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread often involve characters being swept into a bizarre, fast-moving series of events that test their perception of reality. The plot is complex and filled with misunderstandings or fantastical elements, but the emotional core remains light. The journey concludes with a happy ending that feels earned, offering a sense of hopeful awakening or resolution for the protagonist.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here because they share a specific and potent mix of a whimsical tone, fast pacing, and a light emotional weight that builds to a happy conclusion. The experience prioritizes charm, clever absurdity, and a feel-good resolution over heavy drama, creating a distinct and refreshing viewing vibe.

Elaborate dreamscape movies similar to Under the Rainbow

Protagonists navigate complex fantasies that reflect their subconscious and lead to clarity. Discover more movies similar to Under the Rainbow that use elaborate dream sequences as a central plot device. These films feature protagonists embarking on fantastical journeys through their subconscious, leading to self-discovery. If you liked the dreamscape narrative and fantastical elements in Under the Rainbow, explore these titles.

  • dreamlike
  • fantastical
  • confusing
  • symbolic
  • surreal
  • subconscious
  • Tone: fantastical, whimsical
  • Pacing: fast, variable
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The plot structure is defined by a character entering a vivid, often chaotic dream world. This dreamscape is complex, populated by symbolic figures and driven by a logic that mirrors the dreamer's anxieties or aspirations. The journey through this alternate reality is fast-paced and disorienting, but it ultimately provides the protagonist with crucial insight, leading to a hopeful resolution upon awakening.

Why they belong together: These movies are connected by their use of an elaborate dream as the primary narrative engine. This device unites them through a shared structure (entering/exiting the dream), a specific tone (fantastical, whimsical), and a common purpose (using fantasy to explore and resolve real-world emotional conflicts).

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Every angle

Under the Rainbow (2023) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Under the Rainbow in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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