Escapes

Escapes is a documentary-style biography directed by Michael Almereyda and featuring the life journey of the multi-faceted Hampton Fancher. The film, released in 2017, is not merely a biographical recount of Fancher's life, but it is also a captivating treatise that presents Fancher’s versatility as a flamenco dancer, actor, and screenwriter. However, it most celebrates him as the screenwriter of the iconic sci-fi film Blade Runner, an aspect that occupies the center stage of this intriguing film.

The film is named Escapes, a poignant reflection of Fancher’s life, marked by his numerous transitions and changes, his escapes from one experience to another. In a sense, he narrates stories of how he managed to escape from one defining moment in his life only to leap into another. This 89-minute long film engages viewers in an exploration of Fancher's personal and professional escapades, an intermingling of surreal episodes, awkward serendipities, and some intense personal instances that highlight the human propensity for transformation and the inherent desire to grasp the unknown.

The documentary deftly delves into Fancher’s early life, his family background, his beginning as a flamenco dancer going by the stage name Mario Montejo, and his journey into films due to sheer chance. The movie also touches upon Fancher’s romantic liaisons with celebrated actresses like Teri Garr and Barbara Hershey, and especially his relationship with Sue Lyon, the Lolita star.

Viewers get to journey through Fancher's stints in television Westerns in the 1950s to 1960s, his ups and downs in Hollywood, and the unexpected turn into the hallowed grounds of screenwriting that leads him to the creation of Blade Runner. The narrative is fueled by Fancher's captivating storytelling and enriched by the broad strokes of his varied personal experiences and ardent imagination.

The film doesn’t follow a conventional linear storyline or a formulaic way of showcasing biographical events; rather, it chooses to mirror Fancher's unpredictable and eventful life in its storytelling technique. Filmmaker Michael Almereyda intersperses the narrative with real-life video clips from old movies and TV series that Fancher appeared in or related to his life somehow, in a montage-like fashion. The use of visual allegory for representing various episodes in Fancher's life is both unique and thought-provoking, making the movie an audio-visual delight.

One of the most striking elements of Escapes is how the movie handles Fancher's association with Blade Runner. It focuses not just on his contribution to the iconic film but also on the process of Fancher adapting Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the basis for Blade Runner. The screenplay parallels narrating the trials Fancher faced convincing Hollywood of the potential for a film adaptation, providing a gripping insight into the workings of the movie industry back in the day.

Fancher's account is subjective and personal, sometimes filled with self-deprecation, and at other times with self-affirmation. He comes across as a renegade and a maverick who never conforms to norms but always carves his own path, evoking both admiration and surge of emotions.

Escapes is a thoughtful, introspective expose of the polymath that is Hampton Fancher, presenting an unconventional yet engaging biopic. Almereyda's unique documentarian style adds depth to Fancher’s narration, creating a rich mosaic of one man’s life, and provides a peek into the labyrinth of the creative mind that gifted the world Blade Runner.

Transparently honest, quirkily funny, and oddly moving, Escapes is a movie that challenges the traditional ways of storytelling. The film is not merely about Fancher, but a broader exploration of art, human character, creative processes, and the artistic spirit's resilience. It breaks free from the schematic framework of regular biographies, making the film a must-watch for fans of Fancher, Blade Runner, or those who appreciate a compelling, humanistic tale.