Welcome to hell. Bridget Smith’s drug addiction drama Sno Babies is such a relentlessly grim, agonizing trip down the rabbit hole, it comes dangerously close to becoming an endurance test. Which, I suppose, is its point as a cautionary tale. The thing is, the message it keeps hammering into our heads – that drugs are bad (m’kay), and ignorant parents are worse (m’kay) – has been scrutinized, dissected, and regurgitated millions of times. In a feature filled to the brink with needles being inserted into – ahem – a variety of teenage orifices, an injection of humor would have certainly been welcome.
“Kristen and Hannah are mega-popular best friends… and they have a predilection for heroin.”
What Sno Babies does have going for it, big time, is the stellar central turn by Katie Kelly. She wholly throws herself into the role, very obviously putting herself through the wringer to deliver a performance of astounding emotional clarity and bravery. Were it not for Kelly’s “can’t take your eyes off her” charisma and raw commitment, the entire thing may have fallen apart. She single-handedly elevates the project into the realm of transcendent, as sporadic as those moments may be.
Kristen (Kelly) and Hannah (Paola Andino) are mega-popular best friends, excelling at their studies and attending wicked parties. They also happen to be shallow and judgmental (“She comes from a white trash family,” they comment about a girl during one such party) – oh, and they have a predilection for heroin. They inject it into each other’s mouths, between the toes, and the “big girl way,” which I will let you discover. This all rapidly escalates to a graphic sequence of Kristen getting raped while on heroin, which in turn leads to pregnancy.
"…I admire how Smith doesn't shy away from the grim reality..."
