Like Tears in Rain, on Viaplay

Rutger Hauer’s early lifestyle could fairly be described as Bohemian and he first came to international prominence in the sexually charged film Turkish Delight. Yet, he was happily married to the love of his life for forty years. One of his best friends was his brother-in-law and his other closest friends were the parents of his god-children. Fittingly, his new biographical documentary is a family affair, directed by his goddaughter. Obviously, Bladerunner will be discussed, but Sanna Fabery de Jonge devotes more time to the doting godfather she knew in Like Tears in Rain, which premieres Thursday on Viaplay.

Hauer extensively documented his personal life and film shoots as an amateur videographer, but a freak flood destroyed the bulk of his archive, robbing Fabery de Jonge of a wealth of primary sources. However, several boxes of video footage were discovered after his death, which, seen here for the first time, supply an intimate perspective on Hauer’s early life.

Young and dashing, Hauer essentially lived in a hovel and squandered his paychecks on things like motorcycles. Yet, he was charming. After buying the motorhome Fabery de Jonge’s parent put up for sale, Hauer became lifelong friends with the couple and godfather to their daughter and son. He first made friends with Ineke ten Cate’s brother, but they soon fell for each other hard. However, there was actually a first wife, with whom he had a daughter, both of whom go conspicuously unmentioned throughout Tears.

Still, Hauer’s loyalty to the people from this period of his life is quite touching. Indeed, Fabery de Jonge and ten Cate revealingly discuss how painful the Nighthawks shoot was, due to his brother-in-law’s illness. Ten Cate’s pilgrimage to the modern-day Roosevelt Island tram (the setting for his famous face-off with Stallone) was a nice touch.

From the Dutch perspective, there was one voice from Hauer’s past whose absence would be so glaring, it might have undermined the entire documentary, but Paul Verhoeven is indeed present. In fact, he rather forthrightly admits forcing Hauer to appear as yet another villain in the poorly received Flesh+Blood unfairly set back the actor’s career. It turns out their professional relationship even predates Turkish Delight, going back to the Medieval swashbuckling TV series Floris (which looks like a ton of campy fun, so a streamer like Viaplay ought to consider picking it up).

Fabery de Jonge’s other famous talking heads are quite a colorful assembly, including Monique van de Ven (his co-star in the steamy Turkish Delight sex scenes), Mickey Rourke (who worked with Hauer in Sin City and Eureka), Vincent D’Onofrio (The Blood of Heroes), Jason Eisener (director of Hobo with a Shotgun), and Robert Rodriguez (director of Sin City). Hauer might have worked with bigger names (like Ridley Scott or Harrison Ford), but for cult movie fans, this is an intriguing cast of commentators, who all have interesting memories of Hauer.

Fittingly (given the title), Fabery de Jonge saves Bladerunner for last. It is worth the wait, because Fabery de Jonge and company give Hauer due credit for flipping the script, turning the villain into the hero (which was more faithful in spirit to Dick’s source novel than many viewers understand). Regardless, the profile of the loving husband and adoring godfather will be a revelation for a lot of casual fans—in a positive, endearing way. Highly recommended for those who still dig his films and appreciate his unique screen presence, Like Tears in  Rain starts streaming Thursday (3/13) on Viaplay.