Because, let's face it, your only and immediate mental response is heading to the scummy side of town to get some drugs just so you can feel something again.
I can't help but sense dis-ingenuousness emanating from the entire thing, either. It's helplessly black-and-white and stark, and the few moments of nuanced commentary that appear seem trite and forced. I wouldn't be surprised if this was somehow secretly funded by the FBI or something like with the animated adaptation of Animal Farm way back when. You don't have to be a crackpot conspiracy nut to realize the omnipotence of government influence on mass media, especially in regards to perpetuating the "DRUGS WILL INHERENTLY RUIN YOUR LIFE AND KILL YOUR SOUL" myth that religious kooks and in-denial plutocrats are so desperate to hammer into all that they might.
The actors are good, I'll say that. And the subject itself is surely one worth tackling. And you'll bet your hide you'll never ever forget the film. But overall, it just seems like "This Is Your Brain on Drugs", on... well, drugs. I don't need drugs to see the wonders of the world, man. It's certainly not going to encourage anyone to get with the chemicals, but people that are already sufficiently "inclined" towards it will only see the positive sides of the film's drug depictions, anyway. So in the end, who exactly is the film made for? When is mass media going to realize that their antiquated shaking of fingers has little to no actual effect?
It's just another pointless, nihilistic contribution to an already bloated pile of dark and non-constructive fiction that may scar your soul for no good reason. Now, soul-scarring's all well and good, and may help you to grow as a person and gain perspective on life and things and all that, but there's gotta be a goddamned point. If there's no point, it might as well be an exploitation film. And to me, this is as good as that.
A wholly self-defeating anti-drug movie.
Because, let's face it, your only and immediate mental response is heading to the scummy side of town to get some drugs just so you can feel something again.
I can't help but sense dis-ingenuousness emanating from the entire thing, either. It's helplessly black-and-white and stark, and the few moments of nuanced commentary that appear seem trite and forced. I wouldn't be surprised if this was somehow secretly funded by the FBI or something like with the animated adaptation of Animal Farm way back when. You don't have to be a crackpot conspiracy nut to realize the omnipotence of government influence on mass media, especially in regards to perpetuating the "DRUGS WILL INHERENTLY RUIN YOUR LIFE AND KILL YOUR SOUL" myth that religious kooks and in-denial plutocrats are so desperate to hammer into all that they might.
The actors are good, I'll say that. And the subject itself is surely one worth tackling. And you'll bet your hide you'll never ever forget the film. But overall, it just seems like "This Is Your Brain on Drugs", on... well, drugs. I don't need drugs to see the wonders of the world, man. It's certainly not going to encourage anyone to get with the chemicals, but people that are already sufficiently "inclined" towards it will only see the positive sides of the film's drug depictions, anyway. So in the end, who exactly is the film made for? When is mass media going to realize that their antiquated shaking of fingers has little to no actual effect?
It's just another pointless, nihilistic contribution to an already bloated pile of dark and non-constructive fiction that may scar your soul for no good reason. Now, soul-scarring's all well and good, and may help you to grow as a person and gain perspective on life and things and all that, but there's gotta be a goddamned point. If there's no point, it might as well be an exploitation film. And to me, this is as good as that.
(Well, there's that, and I hate that goddamn musical score that's transformed so many promising trailers into generic clichéfests. Gimme "Hello Zepp" any day of the week!)