Heroína(s)

Heroin(e) is a film that succinctly underlines why we need more women in positions of leadership, across the world. This Academy nominated short follows three women - a fire-chief, a judge and a missionary - as they fight an escalating drug crisis in a region dubbed the overdose capital of America. Among the many interesting moments, there's one where one of the women faces resistance during a town meeting, where she's asked to justify why she is saving the lives of people who are seen as a burden to the community. Her response really underscores the humanity of this film and almost becomes an allegory for the hope one needs to carry in times when the world is seemingly falling apart. While the film is shot on the go and the moving camera can give you a bit of a headache, it's still a beautiful ode to the power of what it truly means to be human.

The recent Emmy-winning miniseries "Dopesick" looked at the opioid crisis in West Virginia and how Purdue Pharma (run by the Sackler family) pushed addictive medications on the people, causing large numbers of premature deaths. It turned out that there was another look at the opioid crisis. Elaine McMillion Sheldon's Academy Award-nominated "Heroin(e)" focused on a number of people in Huntington, West Virginia, a small town disproportionately affected by opioids. Part of the focus is how these desperate people turn to drugs, and another part is how other people in the town have tried to help them.

Basically, the things to understand are how big pharma preyed on hopelessness, and how the community has sought to lessen the epidemic's impacts. Everyone should see this documentary.

I'm just willing to bet the person who thought up this 'clever-clever' title also thinks they came up with 'dogis God spelt sideways'.

Anyone so bereft of being able to come up - just with the project's name is someone who's lack of creativity is already being displayed before your eyes, is not someone who's got anything new to add to this discussion.

This is nothing more than yet another look at the admittedly dire situation some people in W. Virginia have found themselves in, and it's through the lens of someone with zero understanding of the situation, and it comes out

I'm not 'anti-dope documentaries - hell, I was involved with a very well-known one myself (I'm not going to say whether my involvement was in front, or behind the camera. That's irrelevant). What I am sickened by is more of the same old... same old, which this is.

How -riventing, unique, shocking, anything can this be?

Not very. It doesnt shine anything new onto the heroin situation.

Personally,I'd love for a documentary which would focus - not just on the drug/addiction aspect, but, what happens to those who want to get off the 'merry-go-round'?

The percentage of treatments the average junkie will go through will be more than 10 - EASILY. Some detoxes last such a short time (in-patient; 3 days), that, when the person's been detoxed, they're technically clean, but, they're no better than sending a person who's just had major heart surgery, & has recuperated just a couple of days. They're VERY raw, & the next step - rehab - is where many people don't/won't go (the first 10, or so times after detox), but it's necessary.

That's where people no really want to get their lives back need to go, bit, the problem is these places are SO tricked-out, in so many ways (their's detoxes where there no one with ANY p'rofessional sheepskin' to back them up. In cc alifornia, which is NOTORIOUS, all you need to open a rehab (which is a license to steal money to many), is a couple of hundred bucks for the license.

There's nothing about licensing only places which are being run by medical, psychological professionals - NOTHING.

West Virginia's a place where there are I'mmany who started on oxycontin. It was only after those became scarce, or the price/pill was way too high (a bag of dope is apps US$10/20, whereas 1 Oxy's MANY times that amount. MANY. The natural inclination is 'look for the bargains..

Unfortunately, many of the people who are making decisions on how to deal with this haven't been down the 'dark tunnel' themselves. Though they (mostly) mean well, they make decisions which can affect many (statewide, citywide) based upon what ten people trying to promote their treatment modus operandi, but, those people are interested in one thing; $.

That means until - if ever - a state such as W Va actually gets its hands dirty by speaking with those who are currently affected, & those who - after YEARS of trying to clean themselves, & who know how hard it is, when the only person you can count on isoneseulf, places like this will never - ever - even begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

It's depressing, but I guess that's the point. It wants us not to ignore reality anymore. The haunting part is what are we to do about such a problem.

There was nothing new or revealing in this documentary for anyone who is even reasonably conversant with the news.

The one thing that stood out for me was the lady who worked at the fire department. There was no mistaking her caliber. It's people like her who lead humble lives but walk head and shoulders above the rest of us. They go about their days doing what most of us would find physically and emotionally draining to do even once, expecting nothing in return but the joy of helping another.

There are no words to express how much respect and affection I felt for this strong, selfless stranger.