Hunting for Heroin Addicts in Delray Beach –
With a film such as AMERICAN RELAPSE, it is difficult to separate the technical and artistic quality of this documentary from the setting, the characters, and the film’s overall impact.
Being a documentary, there isn’t a cleverly drafted screenplay replete with characters both static and dynamic. We see 72 hours in the lives of two altruistic “junkie hunters” who comb the streets and alleys of Florida’s Delray Beach seeking heroin addicts and attempting to get them into detox.
From a filmmaking perspective, American Relapse is wonderfully constructed, visually impressive, and perhaps a few minutes too long for those who can only tolerate so much on-screen pain, anguish and despair. Fascinating facts about the “rehab racket” of overcharging insurance companies, and other corrupt practices are provided in a most clever and engaging manner without breaking the essential narrative flow, such as it is.
