Drugs

Review: Stay Awake

Posted on by indiemacuser

Stay Awake is a new film from writer/director Jamie Sisley based his own adolescence, the film tells the story of two teenage brothers struggling to care for their mother, as she works through addiction to prescription drugs and opioids. The film premiered at the 72nd Berlin Film Festival where it won he German Arthouse Cinema Award and the Generation Youth Jury Special Mention.

In the film Brothers Ethan (Wyatt Oleff) and Derek (Fin Argus) try their best to navigate the pressures of teenage life while tending to their mother’s (Chrissy Metz) debilitating prescription drug addiction. Based on the filmmaker’s adolescence in small-town America, Stay Awake is a personal exploration of the roller coaster ride that families go on while trying to help their loved ones with a disease that affects millions every day.

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Review: Chasing Leia (2020) – a short film about fandom and addiction.

Posted on by indiemacuser

Chasing Leia is the short film debut from writer/director Henry Wentworth; who also appears in the film. The story follows Billie (Harry Wight); a recovering addict as he battles with his addiction and inner demons with the aid of his group of friends; who are all members of the local comic book/pop culture geek community.  

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Review: The Lookalike (2014)

Posted on by indiemacuser

From director Richard Grey and writer Michele Davis-Gray, The Lookalike is a gritty noir thriller starring Justin Long (also a Producer on the film), Gillian Jacobs, John Corbett & Steven Bauer.

This plays like any other drug deal gone bad, mixed-morals thriller. I did however find the plot baffling and hard to follow at times. The screenplay seems to assume you will figure out the back story as you go along as there are no real exposition scenes at the start of the film. It uses that old device of introducing us gradually to the characters intertwining tales; but this has been done better by others many times before.

Justin Long playslookalike1 Holt, the socially-conscious flatmate of drug dealer Joe who sparks up a romance with junkie Lacey (Gillian Jacobs); but as the story develops we see there is more to this interaction than meets the eye. Long turns in his usual quirky performance. Continue reading →