We’re all tiny specks in life, struggling to find fleeting moments of joy and happiness. In finding joy, we turn to different sources. Some turn to the church, religions, or some holistic guru, while others pursue joy in pleasure like sex, drugs, or the arts (i.e. rock and roll). Edd Blott’s Escaping Freedom, this road to joy starts with discovering and accepting who you are…but with a much darker tone.
Vincent (Patrick D. Green) and Krystal (Kelly Godell) are foster siblings reunited after being estranged for many years. The result of this split sent them down two extreme paths. Vincent turned to Christianity, where he is now the pastor of a struggling church. Krystal turned to acting and threw herself deeply into the hedonistic lifestyle with her fellow actors.
“…Vincent is at his spiritual breaking point questioning God, the church, its laws, and his sexuality.”
Their reunion comes at a point of existential crisis. Krystal quit her theater troupe needing a chance to breathe and Vincent is at his spiritual breaking point questioning God, the church, its laws, and his sexuality.
What’s interesting about Blott’s story is how he creates two characters seeking self-actualization through opposing extremes. Krystal went the route of finding pleasure wherever she could find it, which ultimately became a sexually toxic relationship with her director Rene (Brian Adrian Koch).
I personally resonated with Vincent’s story with the church. Mainstream Christianity has and still has fallen short when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community. The attitude is homosexuality is a sin and it must be fixed or there’s a fiery future. What Vincent’s journey shows that sexuality is not a simple light switch that can be turned on or off. Conversion therapy and “praying the gay away” has had very few successes…at best.
"…important things to say about finding and living out our true selves."
