Writer director Eddie Mensore (Mine 9) returns with another masterful turn with HAZARD a look at the opioid crisis in Appalachia. The film follows a man named Will who is acting as a dealer. When he reconnects with loved ones he begins to realize that in order to keep them safe from their shared addictions they have to get away from where they are.
This is another homerun from Mensore. His earlier MINE 9 was so good that I went from refusing to cover this film to moving it to the top of the pile just because the earlier film rocked my world. With this small scale gem he proves that he is quietly one of the best filmmakers working any where in the world today – despite the fact that most people don’t know who he is. The film works because he can write compelling characters, has a frighteningly good sense of place and he knows how to arrange a scene so it all feels real. You all need to not only see this film but also make it all feel real.
You really don’t know how hard it is to make a film feel this real.
As good as this film is the film has one major problem connected to it and that is the subject matter which is addiction in Appalachia. Films on the subject matter don’t seem to connect with studios and American audiences. People tend to see the films as being the same thing despite the fact that the addiction at the heart of it is everywhere. While we were discussing films for the recent Indie Awards the selection committee had a brief conversation talking about how we were encountering resistance to films that highlight the addiction crisis simply because they are in Appalachia despite the films being some of the best films of the year. HARZARD is a kick ass film that is not getting a big release in the US because I think theaters don’t think audiences will go to a film on addiction no matter how great it is.
Don’t make a mistake. Track this film down and see it,
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Great movie-very powerful!
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