What to Watch

‘SHOOTING HEROIN’ IS AN EARNEST DRAMA DISGUISED AS A VIGILANTE REVENGE

BY JOE NOLAN

The new opioid crisis drama, Shooting Heroin, was supposed to open in limited release in about 100 theaters around the country on April 3. Following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of public movie theaters, the film’s distributors adroitly pivoted to digital and on-demand platforms.

The movie caught my eye because of its jarringly direct title and because it was the first movie on my radar to effortlessly glide from theater releases to streaming in the manner that has become the new normal for film premiers. Shooting Heroin is a sign of the times because of the manner in which we’ll watch it, but it’s also a sign of the times in its subject matter which fleshes-out the epidemic America was already in the middle of long before most American’s had ever heard of the Wuhan Province.

Shooting Heroin is written and directed by Spencer T. Folmar — it’s based on real events in his hometown and it features a fantastic cast of character actors including Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks), Alan Powell (Quantico), Garry Pastore (HBO’s The Deuce), Nicholas Turturro (SVU), Cathy Moriarty (Raging Bull), and Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs (Cooley High). The movie pictures a small town community that unites to fight back against the spread of drugs and the body count they’ve exacted. The townsfolk take justice into their own hands to ensure they won’t lose another generation to addiction and overdose. Folmar opens his film with a title montage that presents the small rural Pennsylvania town alongside a television report about an eighth grader dying from an overdose. For the characters in Shooting Heroin the opioid crisis, drug trafficking, easily available painkillers, and illegal narcotics define their lives as much as their close community ties, the bonds of manual labor and military service, and the love of family. It’s a heavy setting, and it’s also one that movies often render as a cliché — an Americana caricature of a place packed with predictable, but thin

ly drawn characters. Shooting Heroin is better than that. Folmar keeps his story moving, but he takes time introducing these people and this place. The dialog and the performances are well wrought, but minimal — offhand seeming and realistic. The production design is grimy and grim in all the right ways, and John Honoré’s no-frills, handheld camerawork captures it all with immediate intimacy.

All this realistic grounding is important because after one overdose too many claims the life of another young woman, the families and friends who are left behind decide they’ve had enough. The well-meaning but overworked police sheriff is no match for the hydra-headed epidemic that’s devouring the town so a form of “redneck justice” — one part pain and one part desperate rage – finally boils over in local bars, around deer hunt campfires, at a Sunday morning mass. Shooting Heroin is just over 90 minutes long and within that period of time, it simplifies the complexities of America’s opioid epidemic. But, just when the movie threatens to turn into a revenge film parody, Folmar rips hard on the reigns. The director stays focused on his characters, who are caught in a struggle between illegal drugs and those who profit off of them, and the laws, regulations and pharmaceutical industry that continually make the problem seemingly impossible to solve. The film best embodies the dichotomies of the opioid scourge in its third act when a candle-lit “parade for peace” is contrasted with a torch carrying mob that’s out for blood — a montage of the two processions reads like a scene out of the Coppola filmography. And the film’s final twist honors the weight and complexity of its desperate subject matter instead of satisfying the expectations of the less ambitious genre fare that this film rises above.

Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.

8 FILMS AND SHOWS TO HELP YOU IN LEAN IN OR AWAY FROM BEING STUCK INSIDE DURING A PANDEMIC

BY SANDRA AMSTUTZ

The Fits (2015) — Amazon Prime

Many film watchers are flocking to films like Contagion as a way to dive deeper into stories about a fast-spreading virus. The Fits can provide a similar spooky tale about infection with a milder approach. A mysterious outbreak of seizures begins affecting girls on a local dance team right as Toni, an 11-year-old tomboy, starts her tryouts. It’s a hypnotic look at one girl’s reckoning with belonging, adolescence and womanhood.

Never Goin’ Back (2018) — Amazon Prime

Are you in dire need of a big laugh? Never Goin’ Back takes you on a raunchy, hilarious journey with two teen girls who can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Angela and Jessie are waitresses who are desperate for rent money, and their attempts to earn it are continually thwarted by sexist pigs, doofus roommates and the girls’ inability to avoid having a blast with each other. Come for the unabashedly feminine gross-out comedy, stay for the delightful bond between best friends.

Please Like Me (2013-2016) — Hulu

Some TV shows feel like hanging out with your closest friends even when you’re stuck all alone in your house. Please Like Me is a sweet Australian comedy that provides the kind of charm and comfort we could all use right now. Creator and star Josh Thomas allows us to spend time with his family and friends as they cook, dance, fall in love and learn how to deal with mental illness realistically. Leaning Into The Wind (2017) — Hulu After a stressful day of being stuck indoors, a soothing film about nature’s inherent beauty might be the perfect way to wind down. However, Leaning Into The Wind is not your typical nature documentary. It follows artist Andy Goldsworthy as he creates one of a kind sculptures and transient performance pieces using only the natural elements. This film has almost no plot or structure, but instead has a bounty of enchanting visuals.

Free Solo (2018) — Hulu & Disney Plus

Are you missing sports? Perhaps you’d be interested in watching someone attempt one of the greatest athletic achievements in the world. Alex Honnold is a free solo mountain climber (meaning he doesn’t use any ropes or harnesses), and his dream is to be the first person to free solo El Capitan, a 3,000-foot vertical rock formation in Yosemite Valley. This documentary depicts Honnold’s intense preparation while also giving us an insight into the type of person who seeks perfection with life or death stakes.

Succession (2018-2019) — HBO

If you’re a fan of the wicked humor in Veep, the destructive relationships in Mad Men or the ever-changing power struggles in Game of Thrones, you’ll love following the ups and downs of the elite Roy family in HBO’s Succession. Now is the time to catch up on its two seasons before it becomes the show that everyone you know is watching.

About Time (2013) — Netflix

Sometimes when filled with anxiety, you just need to watch a movie that you know will produce a good cry. It’s OK, we all need help releasing emotions. On its face, About Time is a delightful romantic comedy about a young man who learns he can travel back in his past to correct any of his mistakes. But at its heart, it is a tearjerker that reminds us to live in the moment and cherish the people we love.

The One I Love (2014) — Netflix

The One I Love is an eerie romance film about a couple stuck in a house dealing with marital issues. Perhaps some will find this premise very relatable these days? As Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss) attempt to mend their marriage, they must also work together to figure out the reality-bending rules of their weekend vacation home. Watch this movie when you want to lean into the madness.