"Escape from Tomorrow" - A Midlife Nightmare at Epcot

Say what you want about the lack of original movies today, but I'm happy to live in a world where "Escape from Tomorrow" exists.  I'm thrilled someone had the guts to make it, and thankful I had a chance to see it on the big screen with an audience.  

This is a feature-length movie about a vacation from hell.  It was actually filmed on location at Disney World without anyone's permission.  Completely undercover and guerrilla style with digital cameras.  It's more than just a filmmaking gimmick, however.  It's a bold, imaginative movie that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

It's a horror movie about a mental breakdown.  Reminiscent of "The Shining" where a family man loses his mind, from circumstances possibly brought on by his environment.  And in this case the environment is a Disney World horror show ripped from Uncle Walt's most depraved nightmare.

Roy Abramsohn stars as Jim, the husband and father of two, who spends his vacation wandering the theme park as his mind unravels.  He's an unreliable anti-hero, whose thoughts and actions may or may not be real.  He drinks, hallucinates, ogles teenage French girls, and meets faded princesses.

 

It's a gripping take on the pressures of modern life.  Specifically the trials of being a husband and father.  Mr. Abramsohn plays Jim as a Jack Tripper/Michael Bluth character overwhelmed by a world gone mad.  When he can no longer laugh, his mind turns on him.  He collapses under all the pressure to have fun at the happiest place on earth.  That happens in the first 10 minutes, and then things get really strange.

Some of the twists are just plain weird, and not all of it works.  The narrative is a bit uneven and sometimes repetitive.  I would have liked to learn more about Jim, and for his interactions with his wife
to be less cliché.  Regardless, it's up to the audience to fill in the blanks, which makes "Escape from Tomorrow" worth seeing and discussing.  My hat's off to writer-director Randy Moore.  His first and only film reminds us of the power and rebel spirit of true independent cinema.