Escaping Freedom

Foster siblings Vincent and Krystal have been estranged for many years. When forced to reunite, their polar-opposite paths lead to an explosive outcome in which each must come to terms with their faults. Vincent is a small church pastor struggling with religious doubts and a burgeoning desire for another male pastor. Meanwhile, Krystal, devoted to full-on exploration and hedonism through the arts, struggles with the labels placed on her. As each other's closest confidant and most prominent critic, Vincent and Krystal attract and repel like magnets. When they reunite, everything comes to a head, both within their relationship and within each of their individual lives.

Featuring: Patrick D. Green and Kelly Godell
Also Featuring: Jonathan Daniel Miles, Brian Adrian Koch, Laura Welsh
Executive Producers: Edd Blott, Heather Yokom, Randy Kovach, Neal Hamil, Shari Gilevich
Producers: Edd Blott & Patrick D. Green
Writer and Director: Edd Blott
Production Company: Any Other Name Entertainment, LLC
Genres: Drama, Art House, LGBTQ+
2020 / 139 minutes / Color / Stereo
IMDb / Letterboxd

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“Escaping Freedom refuses to walk the beaten path stories like this usually take… it asks thoughtful questions and tells its story in a very intimate way.”

MICHAEL HABERFELNER, (RE)SEARCH MY TRASH

“We see ourselves in the characters and in fact, the characters are us.”

AMOS LASSEN

“Both Green and Godell bring to life the emotions that their characters are going through with such passion that it would be hard not to be moved by their performances… A film worthy of great praise and acknowledgement.”

JASON KNIGHT, UK FILM REVIEW

“It's an intensely private film…”

CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER, WILLAMETTE WEEK

“Escaping Freedom has many important things to say about finding and living out our true selves.”

ALAN NG, FILM THREAT

Director Statement

I was a few weeks from my thirtieth birthday when it all came crashing down. Until that point, I lived within a conservative, religious environment. Everything about me was shaped and molded by those beliefs. Every job I ever had was within the ministry in one way or another. I married young to a kind woman who dreamed of becoming a missionary. I had two beautiful daughters partially because that’s what I was supposed to do. Questioning myself, my beliefs, and considering my same-sex desires was never an option. But then, in the fall of 2013, I could not ignore it any longer. I was defined entirely by others’ views, and living those lies was tearing me up inside. It almost cost me my life. This conflict is ultimately where Escaping Freedom was born. 

I didn’t set out to write a film about doubting my faith or learning to accept that I didn’t fit the heterosexual label I was supposed to claim. I wanted to make another film. Yet nothing I wrote ever felt truthful. Everything was in some way a lie, and I had enough of lying in my life. As I learned through tears of happiness and sadness to accept myself, my surrounding struggles evolved into something that would completely change my life. I couldn’t ignore the impact they would leave on whatever story I would tell. So instead of trying to ignore them, I finally let the words flow onto the page no matter how pretty or ugly they appeared. I began to find myself inside every character. Every strength and weakness was, in some way, my own. The characters longed for one thing: to be the most honest version of themselves. 

Escaping Freedom is about two very different people. Vincent, a pastor who struggles with who he is supposed to be while carrying the burden of hiding his same-sex desire, and Krystal, his foster sister who lives life without boundaries but holds secret her shame of accepting the labels a hedonistic lifestyle puts on a person. This pressure boils over, and we watch as they fight to maintain their sense of identity no matter the cost. They can see the apparent faults in the other while completely ignoring their own. How long can this dance last without failing? On the surface, these two are opposites, but they are indeed two sides of the same coin when you look a little deeper. 

It’s the same for all of us. We are neither Vincent nor Krystal. We are all BOTH Vincent and Krystal. That is ultimately the heart of Escaping Freedom. We are complex creatures with the capacity to love, feel pain and deep fears, and exude incredible strength. When the credits roll, I hope you see a bit more clearly that you and the person sitting next to you are in this world together. Both are worthy of being loved by others and, maybe even more importantly, by his/her/their own self.

A shirtless man with a beard and glasses looking downwards, seen in a mirror in a dimly lit room.
A person with dark curly hair is surrounded by swirling cosmic clouds and stars, giving an ethereal, galaxy-like appearance.
A young man with short dark hair, wearing a black and white plaid shirt, is sitting at a desk holding a white mug with a bicycle drawing. There are bookshelves with books and decorative objects behind him, and a computer monitor is in the foreground.
A man with a beard, shirtless, crouching in a bathroom, holding a pair of jeans, and looking to his left. The bathroom is next to a bedroom with a bed and a framed picture on the wall.
A woman with short curly hair smiling and looking over her shoulder in a cozy room with bookshelves, a window with blinds, and a guitar in the foreground.
A man with blonde hair and a beard looks intently at someone off-camera, mid-conversation.
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A woman wearing a hat and light-colored clothing, seen in profile, appears to be inside a vehicle with bright sunlight in the background.
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A person wearing a plaid shirt appears to be lying down, possibly covered with a blanket or sheet. The image is blurry and difficult to see clearly.

Special Thanks

Ryan Amy, Burton Bagby-Grose, Beth Borck, Kera Crabtree, Kay Curtis, Jason De Parrie-Turner, Dalton DeHart, Justin Dickson, Airisa Durand, Christopher Eaves, Michael Eggert, Daniel Foster, Alexander Fraser, Shari Gilevich, Lisa Green, Kristina Haddad, Neal Hamil, Anke Heinecke, Patrick Kingsley, Randy Kovach, Carlos Lotero, Shaun Magher, Taavi Mark, Monica Marteau, Frank Ortiz, Valerium Pereira, Anna Peterek, Ashlee Rice, Bob Rice, Steven Richter, Lisa Kline Simon, Amber Smith, Seasons Sparks, Bry Troyer, Larry Viscarra, Karl Whinnery, Elizabeth A. Zimmerman

For a full list of the cast and crew, visit Escaping Freedom on IMDb.

A person wearing a cap and earphones, looking down at papers on a desk, with a backpack and books nearby, in a room with artworks and a window.
Two people sitting on the bathroom floor, smiling and interacting, with a toilet, sink, and window in the background.
A young man with dark hair and a checkered shirt looking directly at the camera while sitting on the floor next to a person with a rolled-up document or poster.
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A black and white photo of a man with a beard and short hair standing indoors with brick walls behind him. There is clothing hanging on a rack and a small Christmas tree on the floor.
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A black and white photo of a man with shoulder-length hair, sitting indoors and holding a book or tablet.
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