Rutger Hauer was definitely an actors actor. He took the craft seriously and gave a lot to his roles. But he was definitely more than that. It’s just because he was such a private individual, most of us never knew what kind of gentle soul he truly was.

Throughout his life, Hauer always had a camera with him, and this led to him building a vast collection of footage. Unfortunately, due to flooding, most of it was lost. In a kind twist of fate, after Hauer passed his God, Daughter would discover some of his footage. She then went and interviewed the people who knew him best, and this includes names like Paul Verhoeven & Whoopi Goldberg and combined these two sets of footage into a beautiful and wonderful film.

This is a fantastic documentary. Even if you are not a huge fan of Hauer, you will be sucked in by his lifestyle story.

We learn about his less than ideal childhood, his thoughts on life, and quite a bit making movies. It’s hard to explain, but I came away from watching this film feeling inspired. Not necessarily to make better art, but to be a more congruent version of myself. This is exactly how a biographical film should be. It’s entirely intimate without ever crossing a line. Somehow, this entire film just oozes love and respect, and it’s beautiful all the more for it.

As much as Hauer is famous for this particular quote:

“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.”

I feel that Hauer’s life will definitely be more than tears in the rain.

As much as I’d love to tell you more, I generally would rather you all watch the film. So go out and check it out. This one is utterly fascinating. And I highly rate it. Ten out of ten.

Like Tears in Rain premieres on 10 March exclusively on Viaplay available in the UK as an Amazon Prime Video