Lukas Haas is Kyle, an aspiring furniture designer with a new fiancé, a fantastic L.A. pad and a world of opportunity at his feet. That all falls apart after one night on the town when he and his partner, Julian (Wilson Cruz) meet photographer/dealer, Dusty (Blake Berris) and take a bump of meth. Spiral, spiral, goodbye happiness.
I don't mean to be flippant but Meth Head is everything you'd expect from its title and less. Writer/director Jane Clark aims for gritty truth but serves up little more than artless scaremongering. The messaging is heavy handed, the acting is uncomfortable, and the soundtrack will have you scratching at your skin like the titular addict.
If there is meant to be some morality tale here, Clark undercuts it by giving Haas next to nothing to work with before he gets his tweak on. He gets maybe two scenes to establish himself before the slide and they're none too sympathetic. On top of that, almost everyone around him is characterised by little more than their ability to moralise. Only Berris stands out from the crowd, bringing personality to his do-anything-to-get-by dealer, both pre and post downfall.
I know I probably sound like a user that feels hard done by by Clark's film but I'm not. Not a user that is. Meth has never interested me and while I'm sure it is the pits as Clark and her cast strain to portray, there has to be a more involving way of putting that message out there.
Meth Head is a difficult watch, and not primarily because of the subject matter. As far as cinema goes, you'd probably be better served hunting out one of those videos produced for Christian youth groups. It'd be about as blunt and probably better scripted.
Steer clear.
★
Trailer:
Meth Head screened as part of the 2014 Melbourne Queer Film Festival.
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