Friday, June 17, 2022

AMERICAN PAIN(2022) Tribeca 2022


This a portrait of Chris and Jeff George who took advantage of the lax laws in Florida to open up pain management clinics in the state which made them tens of millions and created tens of thousand of addicts because they would give anyone the prescription drugs they wanted. They were so good that people traveled from across America to get their fix.

Funny true crime drama is a damning portrait of greed and lax governmental control that in the words of one of the guilty "destroyed society". The Georges bent the rules and hooked generations. Its a frightening tale that amuses until it catches in our throats. The unexpected moment when one of the characters reveals why he worked for the Feds had me sobbing. It was a genuine  moment that hit hard.

While we have had similar stories over the years few films have been this crushing. By the time the film ends we realize that this isn't a small scale story but one of a grand national tragedy. The George's and their crew, and big pharma really did damage the fabric of  society and by the time the film ends we realize it.

This is a vital and an important film....it's also damn good.

Highly recommended,

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