Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic

Linda Blair gives an accomplished performance in a challenging and at times awkward part as Sarah, a 15-year-old girl who desperately tries to hide and diminish her increasing alcohol dependency. The film treats alcoholism as an illness, not a symptom, which is rather refreshing considering the year of production. Although, claim the filmmakers, her ailment is also not unlinked to her social life and character traits. The picture offers a fairly satisfactory dissection and portrait, even if Alcoholics Anonymous seem to have had a little too much influence on the production, and the predictable ending isn't quite worth the wait. The early scenes in which Sarah interacts with her classmates and her boyfriend (played by a young Mark Hamill) work generally better than the tussles within her family. Directed by Richard Donner - one year before his major breakthrough with The Omen. Michael Lerner is fun in a smallish part as Blair's psychiatrist.

New stepfather, new school, new boyfriend (Mark Hamill, pre-Luke Skywalker) proves to be all too much for troubled high schooler Sarah Travis (Linda Blair), who hits the bottle hard. TV-drama goes over the top in places, but is otherwise a sensitive and moving portrait, not too campy. Best scenes have Sarah T. scheming to get her precious booze (she has the liquor store deliver it while "mom" is in the shower), or trying to steal vodka from a corner store. Made in the day when movies attempted to teach younger viewers a life lesson; I don't know if that worked, but "Sarah T." is a pretty realistic depiction of teen angst. Blair is letter-perfect in the lead, conveying all the tangible insecurities of this awkward age. Was there any other teenage actress in the 1970s who was this good at being this tortured?

This movie was a vehicle for Linda Blair - but don't let that deter you from checking it out.

Linda plays Sarah Travis, who as the movie begins already has a problem with alcohol. Her parents' recent divorce (and her mother's remarriage) and her move to a new school are not helping things. Slowly everything in her life slides right down the hill and into her river of alcohol. Some of the movie is custom-made for Linda Blair - she gets to sing at a party, her boyfriend has his own horses and lets her groom them (Linda LOVED horses, the teen magazines dutifully reported) - but the message of the movie rings clear. Remarkably powerful scene: Linda goes to an AA meeting, and little Bobby (Eric Olsen, then starring in "Apple's Way") steps forward and shares that his alcoholism made him "so damn disgusted with myself" that he knew he had to get help.

It's not accurate to say Sarah hits rock bottom. She THINKS she hits rock bottom, and then learns the hardest way possible just how much further she could fall.

A powerful movie, HIGHLY recommended.

Please make this movie available to the public either by vhs or DVD it is one of the most memorable movies I have seen in my life !!!! Linda Blair is Amazing in it. This movie has haunted me for 20 years, I never knew the name of this movie until the internet came along. Now I have been in a mad frenzy to find this movie somewhere. Please, Please make it available. I have to have this movie. It is a Classic.

I saw this movie "by accident" as it appeared on TV as "Movie of the Week" back in 1980. I had no intention of watching this particular movie, it was just "on" as I was walking through the room. I was an active alcoholic at the time, and although I was full of denial about my drinking I just couldn't tear myself away. Things went from bad to worse when a friend watching it with me said, "Check it out. She (Sarah T) drinks just like you do", which was of course true but also horrifying as Sarah was clearly an alcoholic.

This movie haunted me for several years, and planted a seed that led me to AA about 4 years later. If you are an alcoholic, or wondering if you might be, see this movie!