Back Fork

This film got way to low a rating! It is powerful, emotional, and moving in so many ways. It's real and raw! My moods changed with the film. I felt sadness and then hopelessness and then hopefulness. The way it approaches addiction and grief was extremely moving. Truly an incredible movie that deserves more praise.

I found this film to be extremely raw and unapologetic in its depiction of addiction and the effects it has on everyone, from the addict to family to coworkers.

A.J. Cook was phenomenal, as usual. Even though her screen time was limited, she gave a performance that made you feel, right in the gut, how much she was conflicted between her love and her grief. Josh Stewart has a way of acting that people either love him or don't care for him. Personally, I thought he really pushed through the struggle of an average person who accidentally falls into addiction born out of depression. Stewart and Cook have undeniable chemistry, which is probably somewhat due to playing a couple on Criminal Minds for 14 years and their close friendship offscreen. They never disappoint when on screen together. Agnus Bruckner was unabashedly real in her portrayal of a longtime addict who was so far gone she couldn't even recognize herself anymore.

The film was honest, brutal, and uplifting all at once. It deserves a whole lot more recognition than it received.

I recommend this movie 100%. The story line is one that many people can relate to and it could help those who are struggling with addiction or know someone who is. It will have you feeling every type of emotion from the very beginning. The acting plays a big part in that also, every single one of the cast did an amazing job.

If your having a bad day, dont watch this, if your out of oxy's dont watch this, if you are in the middle of a divorce, dont watch it. that is because this is the kind of film that should be viewed with clear senses, to be watched when you feel strong, and to be seen when all your deeds has been done in a way that you feel ready for some of the most brilliant ,toughest, heartbreaking ,mindblowing and gutwrenching acting ever done on the silverscreen.

it starts quite confusing, where this man sits in his kitchen stol, with a goatstare thinking about the recent time of his life. so do pay attention in the start,or else youll have to buy tickets to the next screening to really understand., we then experience that something bad has happened, and we take part in their grief and loss of a child. their marriage starts to crumble in the coming weeks, and the wife want to have a divorce, and the reasons and the way its acted out are so gobsmakingly well done. the man then slides downhill abusing oxycontin tablets, lend to him from his aging dad, to ease the pain of his mind. his employer comes in the picture when the man has delivered a positive urin drug test, and gets the knife on his neck,its to be or not to be.then starts a further downhill race,where his sister becomes addicted, and the downward spiral starts churning, with cynical dealers, lack of money and in the end tablets for sex. i think i will stop here,just telling that your about 1/3 into the film when actually all this has happened.

the key to this film is not so much the love in a relatinship as in a marriage, its more about the safe harbour where the storms and the waves never reaches you, and im sure that many people that has been married for 10 to 30 years will start nodding in recognition to what unfolds in the film. on the addiction, there will also be a tough ride for everyone having the same issues,or knows somebody or can relate on this due to proffesion etc.

the acting are stunningly well done, and i will be the first to declare that Josh Stuart should be nominated for an academy award next year for the role he is interpreting with bravour, with A.J. Cook and agnes Brukner as worthy candidates too..they all made me suffer through ,in a positive way, till the lump in my throat were so big and my emotional cup of tears ran over the rim and i could not stop it. so well done indeed.

productionwise, it has a kind of primitive filmography, that gives you the fly on the wall effect. there are some parts where the background noise,strangles the dialouges a bit,and the sound sync are a bit unsynced, but when you have a star spangled banner to take from it wont be a thret to my 10 star award. i also had some issues with the score chosen for this film, but that work brilliantly to. the false piano and the sounding sound of the cello and violin really drags you through the pain. im sure it is a low budget movie, but the signs are well hidden.

in the end i will also pay tribute to our beloved mr channing , david selby, fro the tv soap falcon crest, he is still in the business,and does a darn good job.

so do you believe all the rubbish ive written here? well, do take the chance on me, and watch ''back fork'', its worth more than money can buy, thinks the old grumpy man.highly recommended

I grew up knowing the reality of addiction. Having been raised in a family whose life's mission was and is to help addicts into and through recovery -- some of them on their own long road to sobriety -- and having known many addicts both casually and intimately, I usually find myself disappointed by how addiction is portrayed in film, in literature, in general. The human element is often lacking or blatantly absent, the addicts portrayed as caricatures.

Back Fork finds a rare balance: one between finding excuses for and demonizing the addict. It neither romanticizes nor sensationalizes the addiction. It is raw, real, disturbing, horrifyingly accurate. There are unsettling moments when you feel the simultaneous need to look away and remain engaged; this is the very nature of knowing an addict from the beginning stages up through the escalation into full-blown addiction: you want to help, you cannot help, you want to ease their pain, but need to mitigate the damage their addiction is causing you, you know them, but this is not the person you know, this is not them anymore; this is their addiction -- an entity all of its own.

The opening and closing scenes of Back Fork come full-circle in one of the most accurate visual metaphors for addiction possible, particularly when dealing with opioids: it often begins with a choice or series of choices born of need, not desire, and once that initial blind choice or series of choices have been made, under just the wrong set of circumstances, the addict's ability to choose has been greatly reduced. They find themselves trapped, fighting for their lives, flailing but going nowhere, dying slowly, and without help, they may not make it out. But they must accept the help in order for any progress to become possible. It stresses the important role that family and community play (or should play) in the recovery of those around us. The movie deals with loss, grief, the different ways we deal with grief, the ease with which a person can deceive themselves (and others) through the beginning stages of addiction, the impact that addiction has on the addict, those surrounding them, those who love them, and the lengths that an addict will go to in order to get what they have come to not only desire, but need.

The acting was especially wonderful: genuine, honest, heartfelt, and the scenery beautiful and understated, effectively setting the backdrop for this story to unfold in a way that felt natural. This is an important film, and I truly hope that it gains traction; it has the potential to impact the lives of so many, whether it means inspiring hope, the desire to change, the motivation to help, or even to just encourage the public to gain insight and understanding of the true nature of the opioid crisis and addiction in general.