DrugFilmFilter

December 19, 2007 2:41 PM

Are there non-stupid substance abuse prevention films?

It would be easy to collect stupid anti-drug films, especially period ones, such as Reefer Madness.

I took the school library job (that some Mefites advised me not to) and I've been asked to provide new DVDs to replace the school's antiquated substance-abuse prevention VHSes from the late '80s and early '90s. "The kids laugh at them," one teacher said about the old videos.

Now, AskMe, as a virtual hangout for libertarians, is possibly not the place to ask this question. Or perhaps it's the perfect place.

What films are there (preferably in DVD, to avoid buying obsolescent media platforms) that warn students away from substance abuse but don't insult their intelligence? Fictional titles are as good as strictly "educational" films.

posted by bad grammar to education (30 comments total)

I think you should show them a few episodes of Intervention. Sure scares me out of wanting to do any drugs.
posted by thebrokenmuse at 2:50 PM on December 19, 2007

You could show them drug themed movies, ala Fear and Loathing, Traffic, etc
posted by mattdini at 2:51 PM on December 19, 2007

Requiem for a Dream is sometimes called unrealistic around these parts, but it seems to fit the bill. Just don't get yourself fired by showing the unrated version.
posted by bcwinters at 2:53 PM on December 19, 2007

Don't let anyone suggest "Requiem For A Dream" to you - despite its reputation, its portrayal of heroin abuse is about as accurate as "Reefer Madness." Also, Jennifer Connelly's hotness distracts from the allegedly serious topic.
posted by Banky_Edwards at 2:54 PM on December 19, 2007

Through a Blue Lens is a documentary about several residents of Vancouver's Downtown East Side. It was filmed by several constables who patrol the DTES and it's not preachy at all. It doesn't need to be, as the subjects of the film are both miserable and quite human. Honestly, it's really unsettling. It's commonly shown in high schools in BC, maybe across Canada.

The same group of constables recently created a follow-up documentary called Beyond the Blue Lens, but I haven't seen that yet.
posted by Nelsormensch at 2:58 PM on December 19, 2007

These folks may be able to help you out.
posted by gingerbeer at 2:59 PM on December 19, 2007

Check out "Intervention", definitely. It's a very, very well done TV show. A number of the episodes feature teenage addicts.
posted by Asparagirl at 3:01 PM on December 19, 2007

I came to suggest Intervention as well, looks like I'm 3rd in line.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 3:03 PM on December 19, 2007

I apologize in advance for the sketchy information. About 6-7 years ago, I saw an HBO special about two male junkies who were friends. They both went to jail. The follow-up episode showed them getting out of jail and trying to stay straight. They both fail. One of the last scenes was of one of the main characters laying in the gutter, using the curb as a pillow.

It was powerful because it was true. I have goosebumps now just thinking about it.

I think anything that's real is much harder to laugh at.
posted by GarageWine at 3:11 PM on December 19, 2007

There was an HBO films documentary a few years ago about meth that was very good.
posted by rhizome at 3:22 PM on December 19, 2007

Trainspotting. As grim a picture of life as a junkie as you would want...
posted by csg77 at 3:34 PM on December 19, 2007

Sid and Nancy and Less Than Zero did the trick for me, they're not exactly documentaries.
posted by The World Famous at 3:35 PM on December 19, 2007

'but' they're not . . .
posted by The World Famous at 3:37 PM on December 19, 2007

Fix: The Story of an Addicted City is a documentary about addicts in Vancouver's Downtown East Side. I was lucky enough to see this at a screening where both the filmmaker and one of the (former) addicts featured in the documentary were present to do a Q and A with the audience afterwards, and it was powerful stuff. I doubt the students would be laughing after seeing this one.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 4:01 PM on December 19, 2007

HBO's Addiction series DVD should definitely be a buy.
posted by paulsc at 4:19 PM on December 19, 2007

Are you looking for nonfiction? I know that I saw a substance abuse prevention film in 7th grade that scared the beejesus out of me. All the kids that took to many drugs or had bad trips were drooling on themselves in the mental ward.

Do I know the name of this film? Of course not, but it does exist. It came out in the mid 90's and was geared towards middle school/high school.
posted by aetg at 4:34 PM on December 19, 2007

Second Trainspotting.
posted by kirkaracha at 4:34 PM on December 19, 2007

There was also a doc on HBO called Dope Sick Love about junkies in the East Village that was quite scary. It not only shows active addicts, but shows what they will do for money and a high...
posted by soy_renfield at 4:36 PM on December 19, 2007

Nova's show on meth focuses a lot on the production side, but the stories of the users are pretty compelling.
posted by 0xFCAF at 4:42 PM on December 19, 2007

Clean and Sober is a 1988 dramatic movie directed by Glenn Gordon Caron and starring Michael Keaton as Daryl, a slick commercial real estate agent who goes into a rehabilitation clinic when his addiction to cocaine and alcohol spins out of control.

The cast also includes Kathy Baker as a fellow rehabilitation clinic patient; M. Emmet Walsh as an experienced ex-addict who helps Daryl; Morgan Freeman as the tough-as-nails counsellor; and Tate Donovan.
posted by JimN2TAW at 5:02 PM on December 19, 2007

28 Days with Sandra Bullock
posted by mynameismandab at 5:29 PM on December 19, 2007

It is not a movie, but one of the most effective campaigns I've seen has been the "Faces of Meth" campaign.
posted by WCityMike at 5:52 PM on December 19, 2007

The Montana Meth commercials have held the attention of the teenagers I have showed them to. There is a documentary they have done with HBO that may hold some promise.
posted by spartacusroosevelt at 5:53 PM on December 19, 2007

The Basketball Diaries
Drugstore Cowboy
and seconding Sid & Nancy
posted by Martin E. at 8:06 PM on December 19, 2007

I apologize in advance for the sketchy information. About 6-7 years ago, I saw an HBO special about two male junkies who were friends. They both went to jail. The follow-up episode showed them getting out of jail and trying to stay straight. They both fail. One of the last scenes was of one of the main characters laying in the gutter, using the curb as a pillow.

That would be One Year in a Life of Crime and Life of Crime 2. Now I must find a torrent.
posted by pieoverdone at 8:21 PM on December 19, 2007

I agree with many of the above suggestions but I (am the only human who) hated Traffic (the US movie). To me it seemed like a modern day Reefer Madness -- do some drugs, get raped and murdered.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 10:00 PM on December 19, 2007

I liked how in Traffic she did a couple lines of coke, and then a month later she is a CRACKWHORE. I mean, come on.

For serious though, Trainspotting is an awesome flick and analysing the characters' motives, actions, and outcomes could be a very eye-opening and not at all preachy experience. I realize that you are not designing curricula so this may be an unrealistic choice, but it is the only film which I have seen which realistically portrays drug addiction in any meaningful way.
posted by anomie at 10:24 PM on December 19, 2007

I took a Sociology of Film class in college, which focused entirely on films having to do with substance abuse. Some were good, some weren't.

Gridlock'd
Long Days Journey Into Night
The Lost Weekend
Traffic
When a Man Loves a Woman

There were a ton of other ones, but I think the truth is that it is a hard subject to deal with through film. I'd avoid anything older than mid-90s, because our understanding of addiction has changed so radically over time that we really can't relate to how society thought about it back then (see: Reefer Madness).
posted by greekphilosophy at 6:35 AM on December 20, 2007

The Corner, by the fine folks that brought you The Wire.
posted by electroboy at 8:12 AM on December 20, 2007

Days of Wine and Roses
posted by buzzbash at 9:02 AM on December 20, 2007