Since 1999, it's estimated that over 500,000 people have died from overdoses related to pain drugs. In pop culture, the depressing impact of the opioid crisis is often reflected in TV shows, movies and books chronicling the rise of Purdue Pharma, the creators of the drug OxyContin, and the business practises that were employed by the company's owners, the Sackler family, across the past 20 years. A new fictionalised Netflix drama series, Painkiller, tackles the same subject matter.
This one is based on Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic by Barry Meier, as well as writer Patrick Radden Keefe's New Yorker article, "The Family That Built an Empire of Pain", which went on to inspire his 2021 bestseller, Empire of Pain. But as we mentioned, we're not short of filmmakers and showrunners that have chosen to cover the subject, and they're all worth a look in if you want to understand the full scale of the epidemic's impact on modern society. These are some of the most thought-provoking.
All The Beauty And The Bloodshed (2022)
This 2022 documentary is a call to action, highlighting how people can hold those in power to account. The film tells the fascinating life story of artist and activist Nan Goldin, who was addicted to OxyContin, and her fight to get justice. We see her create the Prescription Addiction Intervention Now (PAIN) group, as they organise protests and die-ins at major art institutions in a bid to remove the Sackler name from galleries. Eventually, through her persistence, Goldin and other victims' families finally get to see three members of the Sackler family face to face – well, via Zoom – in an inquiry where they’re forced to confront the damage they’ve wrought. A powerful, deeply personal and moving documentary that reminds us of the political power of art.
You can watch 'All The Beauty And The Bloodshed' on BBC iPlayer until June 2024
Dopesick (2021)
Michael Keaton was rightly awarded at the Emmys and Golden Globes for his performance of Dr. Samuel Finnix in this eight-part series that pulled no punches in exposing the complexities of the opioid crisis, and the people who suffered because of it. The gripping show boasted an all-star cast, including Rosario Dawson, Peter Sarsgaard and Will Chase, and a particularly excellent turn from Will Poulter (as a conflicted Oxy salesman showered with money and prizes for pushing the drug on doctors).
You can watch 'Dopesick' on Disney+
The Crime Of The Century (2021)
This Alex Gibney-directed documentary goes deep on Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, and the regulations that helped them to spread the drug. The two-parter documentary breaks down how effective marketing – including an eye-opening approval by the Food and Drug Administration – led to the ruin of so many people’s lives. “If you talk to people whose lives have been touched [by this],” says the journalist Patrick Radden Keef in the film, “what they want is the truth.” This film fights to uncover that for the survivors.
You can watch on 'The Crime Of The Century' on NOW TV
Heroin(e) (2017)
Huntington, West Virginia, has some of the highest rates of opioid addiction in America. This striking yet intimate documentary examines three women who are working to help the community through the epidemic, focusing on a judge, first responder and local non-profit workers who are attempting to put compassion at the forefront of dealing with addicts, with a view to giving them the recovery they so desperately need.
You can watch 'Heroin(e)' on Netflix now
Recovery Boys (2018)
The award-winning director of Heroin(e), Elaine McMillion Sheldon who won an Oscar for the film, followed it up with Recovery Boys, once again putting a human face to the crisis. The highly emotional film follows four young men, Jeff, Rush, Adam and Ryan, at Jacob’s Ladder, a rehab centre on a working farm in West Virginia. They form a bond, which provides the strength and courage needed to overcome their opioid addiction.
You can watch 'Recovery Boys' on Netflix
'Painkiller' streams on Netflix from August 10
