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  • Film & TV Moderators: ghostfreak

Most Realistic portrayal of addiction in film/tv?

hdef

hdef

Greenlighter
Joined
Sep 4, 2023
Messages
11
What would you say is the most realistic portrayal of addiction you're watched.
Any recommendations for good films/shows on this topic?

I recently watched a Brazilian called "DOM" on PrimeVideo. Holy shit, it blew my mind. Great show!
 
Trainspotting is classic. Good soundtrack too.
I recently watched "Cherry". Great acting by Tom Holland.
 
Drugstore Cowboy
Requiem for A Dream
Trainspotting 1
Trainspotting 2
Layer Cake (Classic)
Basketball Diaries
Another Day in Paradise
Where The Buffalo Roam
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas
Spun
Leaving Las Vegas
Walk The Line

Honorable Mentions Edited:
Bullet---- w. Tupac & Mickey Rourke (Rourke directed the movie under the name "sir Eddie cook"
The Doors
Thirteen
Gridlock'd
Goodfellas
Narc
PULP FICTION (how I forgot that gem II don't know)
KIDS
Bully

all depending on what is taken that day if it's an upper day i.e yayo or amps or stims then movies like Spun or Another day In Paradise
if it's more of an Opiate day Drugstore Cowboy, Requiem, Basketball Diaries etc
Tripping def. anything Hunter S. Thompson related.
 
Last edited:
 Drunks
(alcoholism & heroin addiction)

-- focus on recovery & relapse, with an amazing performance by Richard Lewis in a rare dramatic role (semi-autobiographical) that includes a few very humorous moments; the entire cast is quite good in this one
 
For me it's Trainspotting. Not because of its accuracy but more because of the cultural commentary of the time. Thatcherite/post-Thatcherite Scotland, the heroin epidemic. Really the book is a million times better but the film still captures the essence in a surreal and really funny way. I haven't seen Requim or many others (I was put off of that one as I heard it was so miserable).

But yeah, visually Trainspotting is interesting and portrays an exaggerated version of the junkie lifestyle. It has an incredible soundtrack of course. But I love the humour which is rooted in the desperation of addiction, like going into the toilet to get the suppositories, with Brian Eno playing over it. Every desperate junkie has done a hit in some kind of disgusting environment. The withdrawals scene really resonates with me even though it is of course highly exaggerated also for effect. It works. But Trainspotting is about more than addiction - it is about Scotland after the industrial heart of the nation was ripped out and largely replaced by drugs. Still the OD capital of the world. The book tells the story in a much more intricate and Scottish way of course, but the film is a masterpiece. One of the best British films generally and a nice break from the usual bleak social realism that has generally defined British cinema over the years (with some significant exceptions).

No film can truly capture it though, nor a song, nor any artwork really. These things can resonate but it's kinda like pornography as an exaggerated portrayal of what sex might look like, but if you've never had sex, porn will never truly reach you what sex is like. It will only give you a portrayal of it. I don't suppose that needs to be said but I still think it's interesting to consider. Addiction is so visceral and all-encompassing. It is the most intense thing I've known and experienced next to sex and violence. Watching a film about boxing or watching boxing itself will show you how it looks but I it won't teach you how it feels to be punched in the face and knocked out. A film showing someone getting stabbed will never teach a person what it's like to get stabbed, just that it looks bad.

So back to Trainspotting, I think that the surreal nature of the film helps to capture the absurdity of addiction in a way that is fascinating and sometimes the absurd, the surreal and so on can tell the truth more accurately than "realism".
 
Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo.
It's a German movie from the 80's about a 13-year old heroin addict. Had to look up the English title (if there is an English version). Though as it is in many cases, the book is better than the movie. The reason I rember the movie is because it features David Bowie (as himself)
 
lecroute said:
Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo.
It's a German movie from the 80's about a 13-year old heroin addict. Had to look up the English title (if there is an English version). Though as it is in many cases, the book is better than the movie. The reason I rember the movie is because it features David Bowie (as himself)
Click to expand...
Fuck I love that film although I don't think I am ready to watch it again. In English it is known as 'Christiana F'. A gritty, realist portrayal of addiction - highly tragic and difficult to watch. The Bowie performance is one of the greatest pieces of film ever captured.
 
pharaoh said:
Fuck I love that film although I don't think I am ready to watch it again.
Click to expand...
I downloaded it years ago from YouTube and after my previous post I thought about watching it. But it's on an external HD and because of the quality I will have to copy it to my phone first, I guess.
 
lecroute said:
Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo.
It's a German movie from the 80's about a 13-year old heroin addict. Had to look up the English title (if there is an English version). Though as it is in many cases, the book is better than the movie. The reason I rember the movie is because it features David Bowie (as himself)
Click to expand...

Such a great movie and a very realistic depiction of addiction imo.

H is a Canadian movie that i saw on tv years ago and i can't find now that deserves a mention. The whole movie is just 2 junkies trying to kick in a shitty apartment and it is brutal
 
lecroute said:
Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo.
It's a German movie from the 80's about a 13-year old heroin addict. Had to look up the English title (if there is an English version). Though as it is in many cases, the book is better than the movie. The reason I rember the movie is because it features David Bowie (as himself)
Click to expand...
Ooo just watched the trailer on youtube, I'm gonna check it out. Do you have a free link?
 
paranoid android said:
H is a Canadian movie that i saw on tv years ago and i can't find now that deserves a mention. The whole movie is just 2 junkies trying to kick in a shitty apartment and it is brutal
Click to expand...
Sounds intriguing, though not something to watch just to relax.
puke said:
Ooo just watched the trailer on youtube, I'm gonna check it out. Do you have a free link?
Click to expand...
I only have the downloaded YouTube version from years back, when you could still download stuff without having a paid account. But I see @paranoid android found a link. Cool.
 
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