A tender portrait of a troubling issue
Unfortunately there has been a recent wave of films and TV shows about the U.S. prescription drug and opioid epidemic. Not unfortunate in the sense of artistic merit achieved (I’m NOT looking at you, Hillbilly Elegy), but unfortunate that there exists a crisis of this magnitude in the first place. Millions of people are affected by drug addiction each day, and the opioid crisis has already taken countless lives. The new indie film Stay Awake shines its own match light on the disease with great care and an intimate focus. In this film we don’t have villains (well, maybe the enabling doctor and drug co.), cringeworthy child abuse, or the stereotypical yet often truthful standards set forward by the depiction of drug addicts in Hollywood. Rather, Stay Awake shows that sometimes addiction and family issues lay just beneath the surface of small town normalcy and kind, functional people, and that caretakers deserve some of the spotlight.
This ‘New York song and dance’ double feature is an obvious duet. On the positive side, both films surprised audiences (and critics) with an abundance of colorful energy, and on the flip side, both films feature male leads with some troubling choices in their personal lives. In any other year, or perhaps ten years ago, these two films would be atop the box office and Oscar predictions, especially the one where Steven Spielberg directs his first musical that is an adaptation of another movie that won Best Picture. This year they’ll both have to settle for being two overflowing-with-life musicals that will become more and more appreciated over time.