Tears in Rain

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About

Tears in Rain is a monologue delivered by character Roy Batty, portrayed by Rutger Hauer, in 1982 neo-noir science fiction film Blade Runner. The speech has been recognized as one of the most iconic movie monologues and has often been referenced in popular culture and in memes.

Origin

On June 25th, 1982, neo-noir science fiction film Blade Runner premiered in the United States.^[1] In one of the final scenes of the film, dying replicant Roy Batty, portrayed by Dutch actor Rutger Hauer, talks to the main character Rick Deckard, reflecting on his experiences and imminent death.

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. Time to die.

Cultural Impact

In the following years, the monologue received praise from the critics. In Hollywood Science, Sidney Perkowitz wrote:^[2]

If there's a great speech in science fiction cinema, it's Batty's final words.

In The Guardian, Michael Newton wrote:^[3]

The white dove that implausibly flies up from Roy at the moment of his death perhaps stretches belief with its symbolism; but for me at least the movie has earned that moment, suggesting that in the replicant, as in the replicated technology of film itself, there remains a place for something human.

The monologue has been multiple times referred to as one of the most iconic movie speeches of all time.^[4]^[5]

In popular culture, the speech has been referenced, parodied and paid tribute to in books, video games and films, including Community,^[6], Billions,^[7] Fallout 4,^[8] River of Blue Fire by Tad Williams and Tears in Rain by Rosa Montero.^[9]

Use in Memes

In memes, the dialogue has been referenced and used as a copypasta, with multiple examples appearing through the years on 4chan's /tv/ board, Facebook, Reddit and other websites. The soliloquy saw extensive use in Blader Runner meme groups such as Blade Runner RepliPosting on Facebook^[10] and Гослинг бежит по лезвию (Gosling Bladeruns) on VK.^[11]