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We can't tell you why P.T. Anderson's film about ten characters searching for redemption in the San Fernando Valley culminates in a shower of frogs. There isn't a single meaning; it probably relates to the film's central themes of synchronicity, fate, and forgiveness. We can, however, give you a little background on raining frogs. Mr. Anderson didn't come up with this on a whim. He'd read the work of Charles Fort and decided to incorporate the frog phenomenon into his film. Frog showers have a long and storied history. A Scientific
American article from 1873 states, "A shower of frogs, which darkened the air and covered the ground for a long distance, is the reported result of a recent rainstorm at Kansas City, Missouri." The prevailing scientific wisdom dictates that violent thunderstorms or tornadoes pass over ponds, pick up small amphibians from the water, then deposit them many miles away. The forces of nature don't limit themselves to frogs and ponds, however. In 1995, a storm in Iowa swept up and then rained down unopened soda cans. No joke. In Exodus 8:1-15, a shower of frogs is cast down
by God on the Egyptians for their refusal to set the Israelites free: "And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs." All the characters in Magnolia seem to be struggling for some kind of freedom. Maybe there's a connection there.
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