Under the Rainbow 2023
Made by
Eliph Productions
Under the Rainbow Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Under the Rainbow (2023). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
In 1938, on the edge of a world about to be torn apart by war, a young, dreaming homeless boy named Rollo Sweet in Kansas clutches at a hopeful future in Hollywood. He spends his days at a shelter and his nights haunted by a radio broadcast from the President, chasing a fantasy that feels just out of reach. A desperate fix goes wrong when he climbs to repair an antenna on a rooftop, only to slip and fall, turning a hopeful ascent into a crisis he can’t control.
Across the country, in Culver City near the famous studios, a hotel becomes the unlikely stage for a dozen separate stories that blend into one tangled night. Among the guests are Annie Clark, a long-suffering MGM employee, and her assistant Homer, as well as an Austrian duke and duchess with their Secret Service escort Bruce Thorpe. Tension brews with the intrusion of Nazi operatives Otto Kriegling and his enigmatic contact Nakamuri, plus a sizable crowd of Japanese photographers and a cast of 150 little people assigned to the studio’s big project. The hotel’s atmosphere is further colored by the owner’s clueless nephew Henry, who has the keys to the chaos when the boss is away.
As the night unfolds, the characters’ paths cross through a series of mistaken identities that keep everyone guessing. Kriegling misreads a photographer as his Tokyo contact, while Nakamuri assumes the Munchkins must hide Kriegling among their ranks. The tension grows when Nazi maps slip into Annie’s copy of the screenplay for The Wizard of Oz, and an assassin trailing the Duke and Duchess strikes a blow that changes the course of the evening. Homer, misreading the situation, treats Kriegling as if he were a Munchkin and drags him into the studio’s makeup shop, where the bizarre mix of actors and crew only intensifies the confusion and the boozy mischief of the Munchkins themselves.
In a moment of dramatic confrontation, Kriegling and Nakamuri corner Annie, Thorpe, the Duke, and the Duchess in a hotel room. The murderer closes in, but a strange turn of fate occurs when Nakamuri, aiming a camera, ends up ending the assassin’s life in a fatal exchange of violence. The chase intensifies as Kriegling demands the map, and Thorpe reveals that it is hidden in a locket on the Duchess’s dog’s collar. With the dog leading the way, Kriegling bolts onto the studio lot and sends a crowd of Munchkin performers into a frenzy that disrupts the filming of a legendary film. The pursuit continues as Kriegling hops onto a vintage bus, chased by the relentless Sweet aboard a horse-drawn carriage, and their clash culminates in a spectacular crash.
When the dust settles, Sweet awakens back in Kansas to find that the entire sequence was a dream. The shelter’s residents, transformed into the characters who populated his night, were a reflection of the people he knows from his everyday life. A bus full of little people arrives, signaling that his dream is guiding him toward a new path. With renewed hope, Rollo Sweet heads toward Hollywood, ready to chase the light he has come to trust, and the line between dream and reality fades as he steps forward into a future that feels almost within reach.
Under the Rainbow Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of Under the Rainbow (2023) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Rollo's rooftop fix and fall
In Kansas, 1938, Rollo Sweet lives in a homeless shelter and dreams of Hollywood. He climbs onto the shelter roof to fix a failing radio antenna, but loses his balance and falls, foreshadowing the perilous road to fame. The scene also shows a poor radio reception as the nation awaits a presidential address.
Hotel arrival in Culver City
In Culver City near MGM Studios, a diverse group checks into a hotel, including Annie Clark, her assistant Homer, the Austrian duke and duchess with their Secret Service escort Bruce Thorpe, Nazi agent Otto Kriegling with his contact Nakamuri, a crowd of photographers, and 150 little people including Rollo. The hotel is run by the incompetent Henry, creating an unstable backdrop for the week ahead. The stage is set for a tangle of mistaken identities and espionage to unfold.
Mistaken identities spark the plot
Kriegling suspects his Tokyo contact is among the photographers, and begins a cautious search through the crowd. Nakamuri, aware only that his Nazi contact is a little person, believes the signal hides among the Munchkins. Their suspicions propel the comedy into a web of espionage and mistaken identity.
Nazi maps hide in the Oz script
Nazi maps are smuggled into Annie's copy of The Wizard of Oz screenplay, hinting that espionage will intrude upon the film's production. The discovery raises the stakes for everyone at the hotel, even as the staff remains largely unaware. The incident links the filmmakers to wartime intrigue without fully resolving it.
Assassin targets the Duke and Duchess
An assassin pursuing the Duke and Duchess strikes, killing one of the Japanese tourists in the process. The incident injects real danger into the otherwise chaotic hotel scene. The close brush with violence shifts the tone from comedy to a thriller note.
Homer mistakes Kriegling for a Munchkin
Homer, the hotel's exhausted assistant, mistakes Kriegling for a Munchkin and carries him off to MGM's costume and makeup shop. The mix-up accelerates the absurdity while disguises and disguising agents begin to collide with the film crew. The moment blurs the lines between production and espionage.
Munchkin drunken antics disrupt daily life
The Munchkins' constant drunken antics create ongoing chaos for hotel guests and studio staff alike. Their revelry undermines routines and complicates the characters' attempts to hide their true identities. The energy becomes a constant source of friction and humor.
Hotel room showdown between Kriegling, Nakamuri and allies
In the hotel room, Kriegling corners Annie, Thorpe, and the Duke and Duchess; the assassin makes a last attempt. Nakamuri raises his camera and a shot from it kills the assassin, but Nakamuri is killed in the same exchange. The confrontation blends thriller and farce in a single tense moment.
The map is hidden in the Duchess's dog's collar
The Duchess's dog wears a locket that contains the map, which Kriegling demands. He bolts from the hotel front door with the dog in pursuit, a chase that runs onto the MGM studio lot while the Munchkin actors disrupt the filming of Gone with the Wind. The crossfire of espionage and celebrity production reaches a fever pitch.
Chase ends in crash
Kriegling retrieves the locket and pursues it into a vintage bus, while Sweet chases in a horse-drawn carriage. The high-speed chase culminates in a crash that stalls the pursuit and scatters the crowd across the studio lot. The chaos ties the real world and the film world together in the most literal way.
Sweet wakes up back in Kansas
Sweet wakes up back in Kansas, realizing the entire adventure was a dream populated by the shelter residents who inspired the characters. A bus full of little people arrives, signaling that his dream of Hollywood is still within reach. The ending links the aspirational fantasy with the real world in a hopeful note.
Under the Rainbow Characters
Explore all characters from Under the Rainbow (2023). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Duchess
The Duke’s wife, navigating the perilous political climate while maintaining poise amid hotel chaos and looming threats.
Under the Rainbow Settings
Learn where and when Under the Rainbow (2023) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
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.
Under the Rainbow Themes
Discover the main themes in Under the Rainbow (2023). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Under the Rainbow Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of Under the Rainbow (2023). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In a bustling urban landscape where anonymity often masks desperation, a makeshift haven has sprung up for a group of young LGBTQ+ people who have been forced onto the streets. The association that shelters them is a kaleidoscope of personalities, each carrying dreams that clash with the harsh realities of homelessness. Day-to-day life is punctuated with humor that feels almost reckless, a coping mechanism that both lightens the atmosphere and reveals the deeper fractures beneath the laughter.
At the heart of this fragile community stand Noëlle and Alex, the tireless leaders who have turned the cramped space into something resembling a home. Their dedication is evident in the way they juggle endless paperwork, coordinate temporary jobs, and mediate conflicts that arise from the stress of survival. Yet, as the six‑month deadline looms—forcing everyone to secure employment, housing, and a sense of self‑acceptance—their own doubts begin to surface, hinting at the personal sacrifices hidden behind their unwavering resolve.
The youths themselves are a vivid tapestry of resilience and vulnerability. Some cling to artistic ambitions, others to whispered hopes of stability, and all share an unspoken pact to look out for one another. Their interactions are peppered with witty banter and tender moments, creating a rhythm that oscillates between comedic escapism and poignant reflection. This dynamic makes the association feel like a living organism, constantly adapting to the pressures of the outside world while nurturing a fragile sense of belonging.
Against the ticking clock, the story unfolds as a delicate balance between collective responsibility and individual growth. The setting—a city that can be both indifferent and oddly supportive—mirrors the internal landscapes of its inhabitants, inviting viewers to wonder how far the characters will go to carve out a place where they are seen, accepted, and ultimately, free to be themselves.
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