An honest, unflinching look at recovery from addiction

PLOT: A young man (Will Poulter) living in Ohio tries to complete a county-mandated drug court program in order to kick his crippling drug addiction.

REVIEW: In a lot of ways, the addiction drama is a reliable subgenre, especially for actors looking to shake up their image. For proof, one need look no further than Michael Keaton, whose performance in Clean & Sober, after years of mostly comedic roles, helped land him Batman. In recent years, movies and TV shows about addiction—specifically the opioid epidemic—have become even more commonplace, as more than ever people are struggling with these issues.

Union County, the directorial debut of Adam Meeks, aims to be as authentic as possible, with the director filling the cast with actual participants in the drug court program the movie is set in. Watching these people actually grapple with their addiction is compelling stuff, and the fact that Will Poulter and co-star Noah Centineo don’t immediately stick out like a sore thumb is a tribute to their performances.

The film works overtime to avoid typical drug-addiction-movie tropes, avoiding romance (for the most part) or other scenes of catharsis that set the protagonist on a path to guaranteed sobriety. As the film starts, Poulter’s Cody, who is living out of his car and flirting with homelessness, is struggling. By the time the credits roll, he may have won a few small victories, but the long struggle to get clean doesn’t have a clear ending. It’s a slow, one-day-at-a-time process, and the movie does a good job evoking that.

It feels almost like a documentary at times, with Poulter vanishing into his role as Cody aims to get his life back on track, despite having demolished all of his relationships—particularly with his sister, Katrina (Emily Meade), who is raising a child on her own and has to put her own child ahead of her at-times-dangerous brother.

In fact, the only steady relationship he has left is with his foster brother, Jack (Noah Centineo), but there’s a problem—Jack is in the same drug program and has huge addiction issues of his own. Each has a lot of love for the other, but they aren’t necessarily good for each other. Centineo is on track to have a make-or-break year, with him starring in two high-profile action movies, Street Fighter and the Rambo prequel, but he delivers a knockout performance as the warm-hearted but messy Jack, who’s like a self-destructive sheepdog you can’t help but let break your heart.

He and Poulter have good chemistry and mesh well with the real addicts on hand. Of all the performances, the most powerful comes from Annette Deao, who plays herself—a recovery counsellor who tries to help Cody and Jack, acting as a kind-hearted shoulder to cry on who, despite having witnessed many people sink back into addiction, still believes in the program and will do what she can to help people rebuild. She’s wonderful in the part and deserves all the accolades she gets.

While Union County’s scaled-down, realistic approach may keep it from getting snapped up by a studio, it’s the kind of indie drama I’m happy Sundance still has a place for. It offers a much-needed slice of real life to its audience and shines a light on one of the defining afflictions of our time.