Some strange reviews here. Either overly positive or unfairly negative.
I thought the film told the tale of a coming of age girl trying to wrestle with dealing with a self destructive addict of a father rather well. It showed the relationship between the two as being sometimes positive, sometimes hopeless. Even the character of the psychiatrist is straight from reality. Should she give the user a script for heroin substitute for the sake of the daughter, and run the risk of breaking the law or at least being censured by the professional body, or just follow the rules? As it happens, she breaks all sorts of rules but in the end tries to help the daughter, believing she is worth saving and the father is a lost cause.
Nice to think the USA (and the UK, where I'm from) value the vetwrans so much (sarcasm alert). My cousin, now retired, worked as a federal psychiatric social worker in Oregon before she reitired and these issues outlined in the film are totally real, from what she says. Most of these cases, sadly, are lost causes in the sense that they never truly recover. They drift away from hard core addiction into alcohol and other forms of addiction, then burn out completely. The film shows that for the daughter to have a life, she has to break the bond or she will end up going the same way as her father.
I ought to add that this film's depction of small town America will not help the tourism industry, but it is accurate from my own experience as an Englishman visiting relatives in that very same America. I should add that there is another side to small town America - the people are friendly and would do anything to help you out. It's just that you are not going to be shown a Waltons style world in a film about the dilemma of a girl caring for an addict father. Maybe someone should make a film that combines both worlds. Be equally rejected by the indpendent film awards and Hollywood/
All in all a worthy film, well acted and directed, and not over the top about its subject. Just don't watch it if you are feeling torn between helping an addict who you're close to and running away from the whole miserable situation. Although you could argue that your feelings about the ending will help make up your mind..
I thought the film told the tale of a coming of age girl trying to wrestle with dealing with a self destructive addict of a father rather well. It showed the relationship between the two as being sometimes positive, sometimes hopeless. Even the character of the psychiatrist is straight from reality. Should she give the user a script for heroin substitute for the sake of the daughter, and run the risk of breaking the law or at least being censured by the professional body, or just follow the rules? As it happens, she breaks all sorts of rules but in the end tries to help the daughter, believing she is worth saving and the father is a lost cause.
Nice to think the USA (and the UK, where I'm from) value the vetwrans so much (sarcasm alert). My cousin, now retired, worked as a federal psychiatric social worker in Oregon before she reitired and these issues outlined in the film are totally real, from what she says. Most of these cases, sadly, are lost causes in the sense that they never truly recover. They drift away from hard core addiction into alcohol and other forms of addiction, then burn out completely. The film shows that for the daughter to have a life, she has to break the bond or she will end up going the same way as her father.
I ought to add that this film's depction of small town America will not help the tourism industry, but it is accurate from my own experience as an Englishman visiting relatives in that very same America. I should add that there is another side to small town America - the people are friendly and would do anything to help you out. It's just that you are not going to be shown a Waltons style world in a film about the dilemma of a girl caring for an addict father. Maybe someone should make a film that combines both worlds. Be equally rejected by the indpendent film awards and Hollywood/
All in all a worthy film, well acted and directed, and not over the top about its subject. Just don't watch it if you are feeling torn between helping an addict who you're close to and running away from the whole miserable situation. Although you could argue that your feelings about the ending will help make up your mind..