In recent years, America’s opioid crisis has found itself being tackled more and more by filmmakers. ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED – 2022’s Venice Golden Lion recipient, from renowned documentarian Laura Poitras – showcased the horrifying truth of the Sackler family’s wrongdoings around reclassifying OxyContin as a non-addictive substance through the eyes of Nan Goldin’s activism, while the Disney+ release DOPESICK contained multiple storylines in the series that dramatised both the lives of addicts and that of the Sackler’s evasion from law enforcement.
In Jamie Sisley’s funny yet semi-serious debut feature STAY AWAKE – a feature-length adaptation of his short of the same name – he brings together a story about the opioid crisis from the perspective of a small town family. While the previously mentioned pieces on the opioid crisis rigorously interrogate the Sackler family’s role (for good reason), Sisley instead chooses to ignore their reach to hone in on the cyclical nature between opioid use and the destruction that addiction brings upon the lives of their dependents.
This review was posted on August 21st 2023. Full review linked below.
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