"Drunks" is a hard-hitting and effective drama revolving a group of addict characters at an AA meeting where they face their problems as
alcoholics and the importance of staying sober for one more day. Each of them face their own personal demons, some more sober than others, and one
of them just loses it after sharing his story and spends a whole night going to the innebriate state after some years of sobriety. The ensemble
cast formed is one of the most interesting ever put together: Faye Dunaway, Richard Lewis, Dianne Wiest, Calista Flockhart, Sam Rockwell, George
Martin, Parker Posey, LisaGay Hamilton and Howard E. Rollins Jr. (on his final film role).
It's an interesting film on the topic of addiction and rehabilitation as it conveys realistic scenarios and situations faced by many people who struggle with the condition, and how the AA meetings are important to keep them clean and sober and how they can help each other during those hours sharing their stories about what they went through and how they're coping as clean individuals.
And we also follow the other side of the drama with the character played by comedian Richard Lewis, in a very edgy and amazing dramatic performance. Confronted by past situations he can't change, his meltdown makes him leave the group and embark on a dark journey back to his bad habits where it's hard to distinguish if he just wants to escape his feelings, escape his memories or maybe even to end it all and waste his good years of sobriety.
With those back and forth between his spiralling out of control and the testimonies from the group members you have the contrast between salvation and damnation, what one can do to save himself and/or help others or close oneself to addiction, falling down and to worst degrees than ever before. It's a daily battle, one day at a time.
I've seen this film twice, on different occasions, and after going through the fire it came some different perspectives which affected the experience on me in a less enthusiastic way if compared to my first view. This comes after an Off-Broadway play and such format and the cinematic format don't allow a fully accurate depiction of an AA meeting, and that can be a little hurtful for those who are curious in attending one. Let's just say it's 70% accurate.
Another small point of contention, slightly problematic, is the excessive focus on tragedies and losses and almost nothing about the joys of sobriety and achievements, and the meetings are also about the latter. Showing just the dark past, the people who got behind or left them isn't so helpful in the context of recovery and keeping one's sanity and sober. Sure, there's always some form of loss or the possibility of losing what one has at the moment, but focusing on what keeps them coming back is also important. To make things a little light-hearted we have the funny character played by Spalding Gray, who accidentally joined the meeting (as he consider that he's not a drunk) yet he enjoyed hearing all the stories and decides he wants to keep coming back.
All in all, everyone should see "Drunks" for its honest depiction about a serious issue and done in a very interesting manner. It works for those who face similar situations and even more for those who never faced it or neither thought much about it. Both parts will get new perspectives on the topic and even maybe help someone who's struggling and wants another shot, one of hope. 9/10.
It's an interesting film on the topic of addiction and rehabilitation as it conveys realistic scenarios and situations faced by many people who struggle with the condition, and how the AA meetings are important to keep them clean and sober and how they can help each other during those hours sharing their stories about what they went through and how they're coping as clean individuals.
And we also follow the other side of the drama with the character played by comedian Richard Lewis, in a very edgy and amazing dramatic performance. Confronted by past situations he can't change, his meltdown makes him leave the group and embark on a dark journey back to his bad habits where it's hard to distinguish if he just wants to escape his feelings, escape his memories or maybe even to end it all and waste his good years of sobriety.
With those back and forth between his spiralling out of control and the testimonies from the group members you have the contrast between salvation and damnation, what one can do to save himself and/or help others or close oneself to addiction, falling down and to worst degrees than ever before. It's a daily battle, one day at a time.
I've seen this film twice, on different occasions, and after going through the fire it came some different perspectives which affected the experience on me in a less enthusiastic way if compared to my first view. This comes after an Off-Broadway play and such format and the cinematic format don't allow a fully accurate depiction of an AA meeting, and that can be a little hurtful for those who are curious in attending one. Let's just say it's 70% accurate.
Another small point of contention, slightly problematic, is the excessive focus on tragedies and losses and almost nothing about the joys of sobriety and achievements, and the meetings are also about the latter. Showing just the dark past, the people who got behind or left them isn't so helpful in the context of recovery and keeping one's sanity and sober. Sure, there's always some form of loss or the possibility of losing what one has at the moment, but focusing on what keeps them coming back is also important. To make things a little light-hearted we have the funny character played by Spalding Gray, who accidentally joined the meeting (as he consider that he's not a drunk) yet he enjoyed hearing all the stories and decides he wants to keep coming back.
All in all, everyone should see "Drunks" for its honest depiction about a serious issue and done in a very interesting manner. It works for those who face similar situations and even more for those who never faced it or neither thought much about it. Both parts will get new perspectives on the topic and even maybe help someone who's struggling and wants another shot, one of hope. 9/10.