The Oscar-nominated documentary Heroin(e) follows three women — a fire chief, a judge, and a street missionary — battling West Virginia’s devastating opioid epidemic, as they try to bring positivity to their community.
Now streaming on Netflix, Heroin(e) is a powerful documentary showing glimpses of the opioid crisis in Huntington, West Virginia. The film has won an Emmy for Outstanding Short Documentary and got a nomination for the 90th Academy Award in the Best Documentary Short category.
Bringing Positivity to a Community
Heroin(e) follows three inspirational women in their respective jobs: Huntington Fire Department chief Jan Rader, Brown Bag Ministries founder Necia Freeman, and Cabell Huntington drug court Judge Patricia Keller, who together are fighting to deal with people who are addicted to various narcotics, including opium.
In their routine jobs, they have witnessed many falling preys to drug abuse, while some come out strong. The fire chief, Jan Rader in her duty has been constantly receiving calls and reviving addicts with overdoses. This seems like a never-ending cycle, but for her, it’s life to save the lives of others.
Another heroine is Patricia Keller, the judge of the town’s drug court program, upholding justice, and at the same time allowing people to return to the courtroom again and again. She is tough but also compassionate to those suffering the addiction and who genuinely try to come clean.
Our third heroine is a real estate sales agent and the Brown Bag Ministries founder Necia Freeman who roams the streets and offers food to the needy. She brings many to the shelter and motivates many addicts to join the rehab program or even go through drug court if they have committed any crime, because of their drug abuse.
All these three women have a common goal as they fight the opioid crisis at different levels. They are indeed built to help people and that is what they are doing for their community. The purpose of the movie is to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic’s escalating problems and to recognize the selfless work done by a select few people to improve their communities.
Director Elaine McMillon Sheldon has very beautifully brought the real story of the Huntington opioid epidemic by capturing the social, medical, and personal challenges.
This 39-minute documentary shows the real crisis and how tough it is to fight drug abuse in West Virginia town. The incessant effort by such brave and selfless individuals, including the three principal characters in Heroin(e) are certainly giving the community a bright chance to eradicate the menace.
Heroin(e) | Trailer | Netflix | Oscar-nominated Documentary
Where to watch Heroin(e) (2017)
To Jane Rader!
You are not a heroine in my eyes! You are wasting healthcare dollars and tax payers money chasing these addicts around all day and night reviving them so they can go back out and use again. I say let them get dope sick! They’ll get over it and they deserve that for making had choices. Choices have consequences. If they OD once and are revived which I believe is a good thing it should teach them not to do it again. That alone should put the fear of God in them to seek help. There is so much help out there for addicts so they can turn their lives around if they choose it. But to continue to ruin the lives of their loved ones( I know because my fiance and brother are in recovery) is selfish and irresponsible. Addicts are not selfish people. Selfish people are addicts! Stop wasting money on narcan and all the people who work to save lives of people who OR over and over again. If they don’t make it it’s their choice. They know the risks.