Heroine)

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Movie
Original title Heroine)
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2017
length 39 minutes
Rod
Director Elaine McMillion Sheldon
production Elaine McMillion Sheldon
Kerrin Sheldon
music Daniel Hart

Heroin (e) (composed of heroin and heroine , English for heroine ) is an American documentary from the year 2017 under the direction of Elaine McMillion Sheldon and produced by Elaine McMillion Sheldon and her husband Kerrin Sheldon. The film was nominated for an Oscar in the “ Best Documentary Short ” category at the 90th Academy Awards.

action

The documentary focuses on the opioid epidemic in the United States , specifically its impact on Huntington's disease in West Virginia , where the overdose rate is ten times the US average. He accompanies police, judges, and local nonprofits trying to help people struggling with opioid addiction and bring them to recovery as the city is plagued with growing overdoses of heroin, prescription pain relievers, and the much stronger fentanyl is faced. Among those accompanied are three women who are referred to by the name of the film: Huntington's chief fire officer Jan Rader, who is treating overdose victims with other emergency workers; Cabell County Judge Patricia Keller, Drug Abuse Court; and Necia Freeman of Brown Bag Ministry, who provides food to women who resort to prostitution to fund their addictions.

The documentary explains the use of naloxone to treat overdose victims and examines the psychological toll on the county's first responders who see dozens of overdoses every month. He accompanies first aiders who have been called to people who have overdosed. In one case, a woman is resuscitated at a supermarket checkout while customers continue to pay at other checkouts. There are several dozen interviews with people who have become addicted and are in recovery who discuss the effects of the drugs on their lives and efforts to recover from them.

production

Conception

Sheldon, who grew up in Logan and Elkview , West Virginia, said her relationship with the opioid epidemic was personal and that she had friends and classmates who were addicted to it. The documentary was made in collaboration with the Center for Investigative Reporting and was specifically designed with a hopeful undertone that focuses less on history, statistics and politics and more on the people and their daily routines who are affected by opioids on a daily basis. Media dealing with the topic would have a strong focus on victims; But Sheldon wants to make a documentary that focuses more on the people who help the victims. In doing so, she hoped the documentary would draw attention to addiction as something that affects people of all walks of life.

In creating the documentary, the filmmaker said she was keen to change the perception of opioid addiction from a "moral failure" to a "medical problem" where recovery is possible. The Appalachian region had had problems with opioid addiction for a long time before it found wider public awareness in the United States. Sheldon told Vanity Fair that she believed that while the government, healthcare, and drug companies weren't paying attention to the plight in West Virginia, because people like them, the solutions to the opioid epidemic would ultimately come from there People in their film would have worked to help each other. Conversely, she said the West Virginians have ignored the problem for too long and it needs to be addressed regardless of how the documentary affects other people's view of the condition.

film records

The documentary was shot on various occasions between February 2016 and May 2017. Sheldon and her husband were the only two involved in the 38 days of filming on location. The Center for Investigative Reporting funded the film through its Glasbreaker Initiative.

Sheldon approached the mayor's office for the documentary and was introduced to Rader, Keller, and others. She and her husband then accompanied the fire brigade for around 20 days over a period of six months. Rader later told Roll Call that she was concerned about her co-workers who feared post-traumatic stress disorder , since their co-workers had seen 40 or more deaths per year, including friends and classmates. She wanted to highlight the financial impact of an estimated $ 100 million opioids had on Cabell County's economy, as her fire department responded to five to seven overdoses a day. Through Rader, Sheldon met a number of people who lived through the opioid epidemic every day. She eventually chose the three women featured in the documentary because they often deal with the same people in different walks of life.

After filming, the couple reached out to Netflix , which helped them shape the story through editing and post-production. The short length of the film allows it to be used as a teaching tool, Sheldon said, because screenings at various local assemblies could devote an hour to the film - 39 minutes for the film and 20 minutes of discussion on the content. The filmmakers created a guide for screenings to be viewed in prisons, rehabilitation centers, and medical schools.

The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in August 2017. Netflix approved it for streaming the following month. Screenings of the film took place across the country, particularly in communities affected by opioid addiction.

reception

The film was recognized for its tone. Forbes called it an "optimistic counter-narrative" that focuses on an alternative to harsh or judgmental approaches to understanding the effects of opioids. Forbes said it is "a strong argument for compassion and for the second, third, fourth, and tenth chance," though it doesn't explore its causes as deeply as other works like JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy. The Clarion-Ledger wrote that its "brave" approach allowed viewers to understand the daily lives of people trying to help those affected by addiction. The New York Times ranked the film a front runner for an Oscar because it "tackles a topic in the news - the opioid epidemic - with a topical report and a look at putting human faces on the crisis".

Huntington's residents surveyed about the film generally supported the content of the film, noting that it highlighted the compassion of people in the community who help others.

Rader attended the State of the Union 2018 speech as a guest of Senator Joe Manchin and spoke to MPs during the trip about the opioid epidemic, which has had a significant impact on the Huntington’s economy.

Awards

The film was nominated for the Oscar in the category “ Best Documentary Short ” at the 2018 Academy Awards.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Academy Award Winners 2018: The Complete List. In: variety.com. March 4, 2018, accessed January 13, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b c Jerry Mitchell: Oscar-nominated 'Heroin (e)' tells story of 3 heroines saving lives. In: The Clarion-Ledger . February 23, 2018, accessed February 25, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Julie Lurie: Netflix Just Released a Hauntingly Powerful Film on the Opioid Crisis. In: Mother Jones . September 13, 2017, accessed February 24, 2018 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e John Lynch: The Oscar-nominated director of Netflix's 'Heroin (e)' talks about exploring a side of the opioid epidemic that the media ignores. In: Business Insider . February 23, 2018, accessed February 25, 2018 .
  5. ^ Mary Alice Miller: These Women Are Fighting the Opioid Epidemic — And Finally, Hollywood Is Listening. In: Vanity Fair . February 12, 2018, accessed February 25, 2018 .
  6. ^ A b Jason Dick: The Huntington to Hollywood Heroin (e) Connection. In: Roll Call . February 21, 2018, accessed February 25, 2018 .
  7. ↑ David Alm: 'Heroin (e)' Follows Three Women Fighting West Virginia's Opioid Epidemic. In: Forbes . September 14, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Jerry Mitchell: Review: In the Oscar-Nominated Documentary Shorts, Moving Portraits and Visceral Stories. In: New York Times . February 7, 2018, accessed February 25, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Kalea Gunderson: Huntington residents react to heroin (e) Netflix documentary. In: WCHS-TV . Retrieved February 25, 2018 .

Web links