I was drawn to this film by the double meaning of the title, where the first meaning is a destructing drug that empowers over one’s life and causes total helplessness while the other is more enchanting as it calls out the name “Hero”, a person dedicated to serve and assist the helpless out of pure heart. This short documentary can be found on Netflix which many people in today’s era subscribe to because it lists a variety of films at a low cost. “Heroin(e)” is an educational drug based film depicting low class individuals encountering drug addictions and the authorities there to save such individuals by giving them a second chance, finding a better lifestyle, and all-in-all lead them to recovery.
The documentary takes place in West Virginia and sets in at the court building, fire department, and the streets of West Virginia. The film starts off with sirens, an immediate focus to the prediction of something going terribly wrong, in this case the catastrophe is an overdose. Up until this documentary I never knew who provided assistance to overdoses, I always believed it was the police departments but as I watched the film so is fire department. The film portrayed real overdoses occurring and the savings of these people, one scene had closed in on a man named Cody who at first was trapped in the restroom as his dead weight landed on the door, leaving others incapable of pushing through, but as chief of fire department Jan eased through she got him out and saved his life using naloxone, a fast treatment said in the film to knock off opioids from a cell receptor to recover an person’s breath–bringing color to the once before purple and pale skin. The film goes over the seriousness of heroin and how it can become a national economic problem if it isn’t controlled properly. Jan Rader had estimated 96,000 people spent 100 million dollars in total on health care costs in 2015, in her opinion can lead to bankruptcy in America. Her reasons for the community of West Virginia turning to drug addiction is because of “Hopelessness, unemployment, and lack of education is a recipe for disaster”. The film also depicted court hearing of many drug abusers on the road to recovery going through probation and rehab in which is given to them as an opportunity to stay out of jail, as long as they go to meetings and stay clean. Seems simple but according to a past user of heroin, Hope says ” Getting high on heroin for you would be like being able to kiss Jesus” regarding it as a joyful and monumental feel. There is hundreds of people dying each year due to heroin addiction and this documentary shows the togetherness that comes from the community because support is all one needs to live a healthier lifestyle and no longer live in disparity. Disparity of barely eating meals, living on the streets, turning to prostitution, and staying addicted to drugs causing death. The problem isn’t mainly with the people doing the drug but with the authorities or any higher power or person unwilling to help save a helpless soul.
entertainedbythenarcoticgame 