The America Undercover documentary exclusively on HBO
They say love conquers all, but can love survive on the streets of New York
City? For drug-addicted couples like Matt and Tracy, and Sebastian and Michelle,
the dream of romance must endure the reality of a desperate unending cycle
of fixes, withdrawals, brawls and hustles.
The America Undercover documentary DOPE SICK LOVE tells the stories of these
two couples. Cinematographers, Brent
and Craig
Renaud spent 18 months on the streets to capture the raw reality in a
frightening and compelling you-are-there style. The special is executive produced
by 11-time Emmy® winner Jon Alpert (HBO’s “High on Crack Street: Lost Lives
of Lowell”).
“Dope Sick“ is the street term for the excruciating illness and pain that
occur when an addict can’t get a fix. According to the government
website, there are one million heroin addicts and eight million people
who have used crack in the U.S.
Presented without music, effects, or narration, DOPE SICK LOVE is pure cinema
verité, shot on the streets of lower Manhattan over a period of 18 months.
It is stark and unrelenting. The camera follows the two couples into the corridors
of apartment buildings where they shoot up; into the homes of the johns who
pay for their services; and back out onto the streets as they chase their
next fix.
“We didn’t want to make just another drug film,” says Craig Renaud. “Most
films about drug addicts don’t adequately portray the horrors of addiction.
Drug addiction controls every aspect of a user’s life. It reduces family,
work, hobbies and friendships to distant memories. In order to capture this
dark reality, we had to ‘embed’ ourselves into this life. When you watch DOPE
SICK LOVE you won’t just see what its like to live this kind of life, you
will feel it.”
The documentary takes place in Greenwich Village, a neighborhood of beautiful,
historic brownstone houses and tree-lined streets. It’s also the place where
Matt and Tracy score their drugs, and break into buildings to shoot heroin
and smoke crack. Tracey was a 17-year-old in private school when she started
experimenting with drugs. Matt, who has been on the streets since he was 14,
prostitutes himself to gay men to support his habit. His mother would like
to help him fight his drug addiction, but has lost hope, observing, “Matt
was a good kid and then he grew up. I can’t deal with his lifestyle any longer.”
Tracey’s long-suffering father won’t give up on his daughter. The weekly checks
he sends her go entirely to support the couples’ drug habits. To get them
off the streets, Tracey’s father finally decides that he has no choice but
to rent an apartment for them in Brooklyn. This is a happy ending of sorts,
but one that feels fragile, because Tracy and Matt continue to do drugs.
Without the financial support of family, Sebastian and Michelle have a tougher
time. Sebastian engages in gay prostitution when the couple is desperate for
money, but he doesn’t want his girl Michelle engaging in sex for money. Michelle
is a master of the scam, luring prospective sex clients into compromising
situations. Then, posing as a cop, she pulls out a fake badge and extorts
cash from the johns in exchange for their “freedom.”
Sebastian and Michelle’s hand-to-mouth existence strains their relationship.
As the high wears off they get into violent street fights. Eventually, the
desire for drugs is stronger than their love for each other. They part ways
and end up on the streets -- alone.
“Let this film be a warning to anyone who thinks that drugs will bring anything
but degradation and desperation,” says Brent Renaud. “Even though DOPE SICK
LOVE deals with two romances, nothing is romanticized in this documentary.
There is nothing constructive about crack. There is nothing heroic about heroin.
We wanted to bring the viewer close enough to the life of a drug addict to
show the inevitable result.”
CREDITS
Directed by Felice Conte, and Brent and Craig Renaud;
Cinematographers/Editors, Brent and Craig Renaud;
Supervising Editor, John Custodio;
Executive Producer, Jon Alpert;
Co-Executive Producers Felice Conte and Jonathan Stack.
For HBO:
Senior Producer, Lisa Heller;
Executive Producer, Sheila Nevins.
Dope Sick Love
- Now on DVD!
Order your copy today!
$19.95 plus S & H
