By Simon Thompson
When I was in my late childhood and early teens Rutger Hauer’s intensity both compelled and, in some specific cases, frightened me at the same time. Although I wouldn’t become familiar with his work in his native Holland until much later on, his performances in 80s classics such as Blade Runner, Ladyhawke, Flesh and Blood, and The Hitcher left a lasting mark on me as a fan of 80s genre and fantasy movies.I came to realise I knew very little about the man behind Roy Batty and Etienne of Navarre himself.
This has, of course, now changed, thanks to the work of Hauer’s goddaughter and writer/director Sanna Fabery de Jonge, whose documentary Like Tears In Rain for the first time gives us unprecedented access into the life of an extremely private and reserved man. The story is told mostly through extensive home movies recorded by Hauer himself, and spliced together with short interview portions with both Hauer’s widow Ineke ten Kate as well as friends, directors, and actors who worked with him, such as frequent collaborator Paul Verhoeven, Vincent D’Onofrio, Robert Rodriguez, Miranda Richardson, Mickey Rourke, and Whoopi Goldberg.
Through the footage and testimony from family and friends the portrait painted of Hauer is one of someone both having a childlike sense of wonder about the world and also being an intensely no nonsense actor who found his frequent typecasting in Hollywood increasingly tiresome to deal with – in contrast to the more varied work he was involved in in the Netherlands where, alongside Paul Verhoeven he is considered one of the foremost pioneers in helping the domestic Dutch industry reach the level that it has now.
As fascinating as this documentary is for someone who has been a fan of Hauer and his work for a long time, the film’s biggest flaw is that it doesn’t really hook newcomers into Hauer’s story in the way that, in contrast the Christopher Reeve documentary that was released a few months ago did. That being said, however, de Jonge’s documentary does do an excellent job of reminding you about what a brilliant actor Hauer was to begin with, and thanks to appearances by Vincent D’Onofrio and Mickey Rourke the audience is given a new insight into Hauer’s acting style as a scene partner.
Despite being relatively inaccessible for newcomers, Like Tears In Rain is a moving depiction of a fantastic actor, a loving husband, and a joyful eccentric who lived life and guided his career on his own terms. For an actor to have one role that leaves an indelible mark on pop culture is a blessing enough, but Hauer, with his characters such as Roy Batty in Blade Runner (whose final speech is one of the most iconic in movie history) or Martin in Flesh and Blood, where both the film’s plot and Hauer’s appearance would inspire legendary mangaka Kentaro Miura to create his magnum opus Berserk and the physical features of its protagonist Guts, casts a very wide shadow.
“The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and you have burned so very very brightly, Roy”
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