Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street

I was flipping channels late one evening and I caught the last half of this film. It was horrifying and bleak yet absolutely fascinating, like watching a car accident in slow-motion.

The filmmakers set out to tell the truth about the effects of heroin addiction by following the daily lives of a group of black tar heroin addicts in the San Francisco Bay area. We see them become progressively sicker, thinner, paler and even lose hope of going clean. Three of them (2 guys and a girl) work as prostitutes to support their habit (2 later test positive for HIV). All the while they remain remarkably candid about their condition and we learn all we'd ever want to know about this sad lifestyle.

I recommend this film but people with delicate sensibilities might want to stay away.

Schools and drug awareness programs should use this film!

This documentary came on HBO at 3:45 in the morning, and having skipped it in the past when I had other things to do, I decided to forego sleep for the night in order to see this. I was expecting it to be depressing, but no one could really be prepared for the horrible stories and images of the lives these young people have lived and are currently living. They resort to prostitution, robbery, anything to get their costly daily fix(es), and we are right there watching them follow their downward spirals to what we sadly know will inevitably be a slow, lonely, painful death, whether it be on or off camera. I agree wholeheartedly that this movie is too disgusting to look at at points, yet one that everyone should see, just don't expect to come out of it in too good a mood. If you found yourself affected by the plight of the characters in Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream,check out the even more saddening (I know it's hard to believe) stories of some real, live addicts.

In an attempt to do the impossible, Black Tar Heroin... is an insiders look into the life of a Heroin addict. This commentary on youth in San Francisco which are involved with Heroin, among other things, is a graphic display of society's problems. Though the movie at some points is to grotesque to watch, it is necessary to show for the value.

Every youth in society as they reach their teen years should be made to watch this movie. It is in the mind of this viewer that many of teenagers would be turned off enough, never to attempt this lifestyle.

I did not see this documentary in its entirety, but what I did see definitely made an impact. The images are still with me today of those who were ravaged by heroin addiction. I caught the second half. One couple lived in a slummy hotel. The boyfriend was dealing and selling at the same time. He talked about how he once said he would never shoot up; once he began doing that he said he would never shoot through his neck. Sadly, we see him do that during this documentary. The others lives were just as depressing. Two of the addicts call their family members during the documentary. This was sad because it reminds viewers that they still have people who care about them. I would like to see a follow up on those featured. I hope they were able to get help. I agree with other posters that this is a good film to show young people.

It was hard to watch the needles in the beginning. Needles in the arm. Neddles in the foot. In the neck. Then the needles stopped mattering. It got hard to watch the users. You end up realizing that these addicts are people, not just dirty bodies walking the streets. You can figure out why these people cannot stop. You see that they made a mistake a long time ago and that mistake held on. All of their friends are part of that mistake. Who do you go to when your trying to fix a mistake? Your friends. Notice how this won't work. This film makes you see these people as people. The types that have to sleep on sidewalks. Find this film and watch it.