Nicholas Jarecki’s Crisis seeks to unveil the stigma behind addiction and raise awareness about the opioid epidemic affecting so many in the world right now.
This three-pronged story of crime, addiction, and loss, raises questions we didn’t even know needed asking about this ongoing epidemic.
Conspiracy theorist or not, Jarecki’s Crisis installs a lot of fear and anxiety into the viewer regarding ‘Big Pharma’. Dr Bill Simons (Luke Evans) and Meg Holmes (Veronica Ferres) believe they have a new painkiller to replace all other opioids in the industry. Meanwhile, mother and recovering addict Claire Riemann (Evangeline Lilly) embarks on a truth-seeking journey, leading her on a potential relapse and right into the lion’s den of illegal narcotics in her city. Tackling the fragility of human morality, Dr Tyrone Brower (Gary Oldman), a collegiate professor who dabbles in pharmaceutical research, is faced with a decision that will change the world as we know it.
Nicholas Jarecki has hit the nail on the head with Crisis. He has done what 1999’s The Insider did so many years ago with ‘Big Tobacco’, bringing this issue to the eyes of even more people. Approaching this topic from so many different angles within the film allowed a broader scope and understanding of the plot and issue at hand. Political and medical between Dr Simons and Dr Brower, addiction with Claire Riemann, and then deciding what is right and wrong opens up a big can of worms about human virtue.
Being inspired by actual events makes this all the more eye-opening and terrifying. Crisis is not a movie whose sole purpose is to entertain; this movie aims to educate and get the conversation about addiction and opiates going. Nicholas Jarecki has created an incredible drama film that secondary schools worldwide will be using as a case study, film study, and monologue in drama class.
Crisis makes you think about who around you in your life might be struggling with addiction, and the answer may surprise you.
Fun Fact:
Was originally titled Dreamland, but renamed shortly before its release, to avoid confusion with Dreamland (2019) and Traumfabrik (2019).
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