At the beginning of a nightly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Jim seems particularly troubled. His sponsor encourages him to talk that night, the first time in seven months, so he does - and leaves the meeting right after. As Jim wanders the night, searching for some solace in his old stomping grounds, bars and parks where he bought drugs, the meeting goes on, and we hear the stories of survivors and addicts - some, like Louis, who claim to have wandered in looking for choir practice, who don't call themselves alcoholic, and others, like Joseph, whose drinking almost caused the death of his child - as they talk about their lives at the meeting
Acting
Richard Lewis transcends his persona — devastating, specific, lived-in.
Writing
Improvised-feeling monologues that actually land, not actorly indulgence.
Direction
Peter Cohn's one-location tension — the meeting as pressure cooker.
Director
Peter Cohn
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot in 12 days on 16mm for roughly $300,000, with much of the AA meeting dialogue improvised by cast members who researched at actual NYC meetings.
This bombed so hard in '97 that it's basically disappeared — yet it predates the current 'prestige addiction drama' wave by decades without the cozy redemption packaging.
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