Not A Game
By Eva Wunderman
Jeneva Film

Cheap, easy to get, and highly addictive, crystal meth has become the drug of choice in North American small towns, not only for teenagers, but for younger kids as well. This provocative film issues a stark warning to young people of all ages, but is especially aimed at those pre-teens and younger children who might be influenced by older kids to “experiment.” The program opens with young children talking about what they’d like to be when they grow up, but quickly cuts to an increasingly disturbing series of young and not so young addicts describing what they had wanted to do with their lives before they got hooked. There are interviews with older meth users who have lost jobs, homes, families and — in one case — even limbs because of their drug abuse. Some of the scenes shown are very graphic.

A plain-talking physician explains the mental and physical changes meth can cause; he talks about all the things our brain enables us to do and asks “What part of your brain would you like to do without?” Engaging classroom scenes show students learning and practicing ways of dealing with peer pressure, including “refusal skills,” expressing the film’s overall message that “you have a choice.”

11 minutes
© 2007
Purchase $119 DVD
Order No. QA-474
ISBN (DVD) 1-57295-900-2

Awards & Conference Screenings
WorldFest Houston Film Festival, Special Jury Award

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Crystal Fear, Crystal Clear: Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, has become the drug of choice for teenagers in small towns across North America. Highly addictive, cheap, and easy to get, it can cause psychosis, permanent brain damage, and even death. This program documents a year in the lives of three families devastated by this powerful, seductive drug.

Recovering Krystal: The dramatic story of one teenage drug addict and runaway highlights a unique, 12-month alcohol and drug therapy program which treats both the abuser and his or her parents.

The Gospel According to Mr. Allen: The staff of the Addicts Rehabilitation Center struggle to give addicts a sense of dignity and hope as they try to break the harsh grip of drugs.

Worth Saving: This short video follows two drug users through a groundbreaking program that teaches the signs of drug overdose and the basic CPR needed to save lives. In an unusual and controversial approach, the DOPE program also prescribes the antidote Narcan directly to drug users.

Women: Coming Out of the Shadows: Ten women, of all ages and from all walks of life, share their stories of alcohol addiction and recovery.

To rent or purchase this film, please visit the Icarus Films website

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