Two poignant films about drug addiction appear this Sunday evening in Spaulding Auditorium as part of the Dartmouth Film Society's ongoing "Cinema Cool" summer film series.
The showcased films "Drugstore Cowboy" and "Sid and Nancy" give the viewer an honest, sometimes painful look at drug addiction through the stories of addicted couples.
In "Drugstore Cowboy," based on imprisoned addict James Fogle's autobiography, Matt Dillon and Kelly Lynch play an addicted couple whose drugs of choice are prescription drugs. They join forces with a less experienced couple and together they go on a wild crime spree robbing drugstores across the Pacific Northwest.
Welcome to a world where the next fix is more important than the next meal, sexual pleasure is replaced with drug induced numbness, and paranoia about dogs and hats on beds becomes a way of life. "Drugstore Cowboy" is a journey through time and space, hopping from one drug store to another, from one high to the next along the path of addiction.
The film was critically acclaimed and became an art house hit after its release. The success of "Drugstore Cowboy" earned director Gus Van Sant ("My Own Private Idaho") a reputation as a voice of the younger generation. Van Sant gives texture to drug addiction through close, painful shots of needles and paraphernalia and dreamlike "high" sequences.
English director Alex Cox ("Repo Man") treads on similar ground with his 1986 film, "Sid and Nancy", which depicts the life of Sid Vicious ( Gary Olsen), bassist for the English punk rock band "The Sex Pistols", and his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb). Nancy introduces Sid to shooting up heroin and, like "Drugstore Cowboy," they become an addicted couple, living from fix to fix.
Although it is based on the true story of a relatively high profile musician, "Sid and Nancy" was not intended to be a history of the Sex Pistols. Instead, this is an honest look at the music, drugs and punk movement of the 1970s, tracing the trails of one relationship and its descent in to addiction.
Both films give the viewer a unique glimpse at the drug culture of the 1970s. Although these films are not always easy to watch, they are a valuable viewing experience. Amidst the misery of drug addiction are moments of humor, and most everyone will find something in these relationships with which he or she can relate.
"Sid and Nancy" appears at 6:45 p.m. Sunday evening in Spaulding. "Drugstore Cowboy" follows at 8:45 p.m.