ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW
Starring Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber
Directed by Randy Moore
Forsaking permission and permits in favour of shooting entirely guerrilla style on the grounds of Disneys theme parks, writer-director-provocateur Randy Moore transforms a conventional family vacation into a caustic, kaleidoscopic fever dream. Exhibiting a surrealists eye for uncovering context-altering angles from which to shoot the Magic Kingdom and its denizens, Moore transforms the purported happiest place on Earth into an unrelenting horror show stocked with grotesques.
On the last day of a holiday with his perpetually aggravated wife Emily (Elena Schuber) and two demanding kids, Jim (Roy Abramsohn) is unceremoniously fired over the phone. His emasculation doesnt end there, as hes next locked on the hotel balcony by his son who wants to enjoy a morning cuddle alone with Emily. This Oedipal overture sets the tone for the enchantingly perverse narrative that follows: while trying to play family man, the sad, schlubby Jim finds himself tempted by two underage Dis-nymphs, seduced by a wicked witch and relegated to the role of pawn in a sinister plot sponsored by Siemens.
Tomorrowlands retro-futurist details and Its a Small Worlds cavernous realms lend themselves exceptionally well to the films black and white lensing. Furthermore, turning such readily familiar landmarks into makeshift sets leaves viewers constantly marvelling at the resourcefulness and intestinal fortitude required by Moore to pull off this outrageously subversive stunt.
Admittedly, much like a rundown amusement park ride, the exhilaration here can largely be attributed to the rickety nature of the structure and the sense it could collapse at any second. But even when the film inevitably goes off the rails in its final reels, it falls to pieces in fine style.
Curtis Woloschuk
