What the doctor did not prescribe. In her autobiographical book Prozac Nation, Elizabeth Wurzel, who was treated with Prozac even when it was just an emerging drug, the effectiveness of which no one was sure, described how these pills saved her life and initiated a long road of recovery from severe depression. However, in the epilogue, the author reflected that very soon the success of Prozac was so great that they began to treat everything and everyone in a row. For the illustration for this thought, Wurzel did not have to go far - her friend's cat was sick, and the doctor prescribed her the same Prozac as an antidepressant. Since the release of Wurzel's autobiography, many years have passed, but the situation has changed only for the worse - many of Elizabeth's compatriots found themselves hooked on painkillers, antidepressants and other prescription drugs. Documentary director Chris Bell, who may be known to you from Faster, Stronger, More Powerful, was familiar with the problem of drug addiction firsthand - it was the cause of his brother's death and the root of the problems of many people he knew personally. So Bell decided to make Prescription Thugs to understand the extent and nature of his compatriots’ addiction to legal drugs.
A good documentary filmmaker can provide you with three things: a fascinating narrative, a full-fledged exploration of the issue being raised, and something with which you can experience the story not only with your head but also with your heart. To begin with, the plot in Chris Bell’s new film is completely absent – you can watch it from the middle, then switch to the beginning, and then rewind to the end and you still do not get confused. "Prescription Thugs" contains several similar and very obvious thoughts that the characters of the picture voice with enviable frequency. It is not hard to guess that the first and most important of them will be that the United States has become a nation of dependent people. The second is that addiction affects everyone, and the “addict” can be both your fifteen-year-old brother and your eighty-year-old grandmother, a faithful parishioner of the local church. The third and most frequently repeated thought was the idea that pharmaceutical companies were interested in nothing but profit. Watching “Prescription Thugs” cannot captivate the viewer, because very soon you realize that you will not hear any new, interesting or useful information, but will “learn” what you already know. The ability of the director to repeat the same thoughts goes to a real frenzy or, as it will be appropriate to call in the context of this review, to an incurable addiction.
In his study of the problem, Chris Bell relies on three sources: his own experience, the press and statistical information. It may seem like a good way to actually get to the heart of the matter. However, in fact, you get a huge number of stories from the category “we sat with the boys on the bench”, the same number of scandals with television, including those involving celebrities, and dry voice statistics, which is the only useful thing in the picture. Chris Bell hasn’t really tried to explore and understand the nature and causes of drug addiction or how pharmaceutical campaigns work. He merely interviewed a couple of acquaintances and a few deeply questionable “experts,” tried to be funny, like Michael Moore, and inserted pseudo-philosophical reflections on life, diluted with warnings about the dangers of capitalism. That’s not to say that the problem Chris Bell raises in his film is irrelevant or that he doesn’t care. However, the documentary can not be evaluated positively just because of the desire of the director to change something. Change comes with enlightenment, and Chris Bell has absolutely not helped his viewers become a little smarter and more health-savvy.