Shooting Heroin

The opioid crisis in America is real, and director Folmar makes an earnest attempt to tell a story of mob rage concerning this problem. In the beginning, there are news reports of children dying from overdoses. Then the task force confronts doctors who intentionally overprescribes oxycontin and pharmacists more than willing to fulfill those orders. The film walks that line between being informative and being preachy. It crosses that line on occasion.

As mentioned above, the movie is about pushing people to the limits of frustration when the law or government does nothing. It’s about taking things into your own hands like vigilantes. As the mob begins to form, Folmar examines varying degrees of this primarily from the members of the task force, but the citizens as well. Hazel is not comfortable with a gun. It dawns on some members; this is not right.

“…incredibly uncomfortable moments speaking at school assemblies to the deaf ears of its teen students…”

Overall, the acting is good, although the characters are a little formulaic and predictable. I do want to call out Sherilyn Fenn as Hazel. Her take on the overly concerned parent won me over in the end. She has these incredibly uncomfortable moments speaking at school assemblies to the deaf ears of its teen students, and all she’s trying to do is say she loves them and wishes a better life for them. It’s cringey and heartbreaking.

Lastly, in message films, there’s this idea of check-listing. In a film about the opioid crisis, we have to have A, B, and C. Movies when present items on the list for the sake of checking it off rather than subtlely integrating them into the story.

Shooting Heroin is a good story and a good movie with the best of intentions. I think what keeps it from being great is the acting feels scripted at times, and the messaging jumps into the realm of preaching. Despite these minor flaws, it’s a fun, engaging film, and you will understand the severity of opioids in America.