"Union County" Brings Realism of Addiction Recovery to Sundance

Not every film at Sundance is going to be a barrel of laughs. In fact, the festival has been a champion of innovative, risky films that push the envelope; telling stories that otherwise wouldn't have been told. One of those films this year is Union County by Adam Meeks, a story about a man's struggles with opioid addiction and road to redemption in rural Ohio. Featuring, believe it or not, the best performance of Noah Centineo's career.

Union County is based on Adam Meeks short film of the same name. It tells the story of recovering addict, Cody Parsons (Will Poulter) who is currently attending a drug court program and trying to get his life back together. A new addition to this program ends up being his foster brother, Jack (Noah Centineo) who has unfortunately followed in Cody's footsteps. The film also employs the acting talents of Elise Kibler and Emily Meade.

The film was shot less than a year ago in a real drug court in Ohio, with many of the "actors" being real program participants who have never appeared on screen before. It is clear that the cast and crew of Union County deeply care about the plight of these former addicts and want to tell a story that otherwise would've never been told. This is a project meant to enact positive change in the world, which only makes me feel more guilty about my criticism of it.

Union County is a complicated film, one whose greatest weaknesses also end up being its greatest strengths. It is an incredibly slow-paced film that tends to feel meandering and frankly, boring. As much as that disappointed me, I came to realize that this was probably intentional. There's nothing hyper graphic like Requiem For A Dream or visually trippy like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. There are no blowout fights or stomach-churning scenes. Instead, Union County sets out to give its audience the most authentic possible look at substance addiction and recovery. The people are real and their stories are real. While I initially found myself disheartened by the lack of action or memorable scenes, the banality ends up being what makes this film special.

The crux of Union County is realism, and the truth is that real life is seldom as action-packed and exciting as the movies. By making a film this mundane and quiet, Adam Meeks and company were able to create a truly realistic portrait of recovery in areas of the United States that are often overlooked like rural Ohio. Union County understands that recovery is a lot less exciting of a topic than active addiction, but this banality is necessary

It is no secret that despite being a celebrated actor, Noah Centineo's resume is full of poorly-received films, leading audiences and critics to see him as nothing more than a "popcorn flick" actor. But Union County gives audiences a new look at Centineo in a role that might just reinvigorate his career. His character Jack, is a fun-loving country bumpkin who tends to smile through the pain, never letting his brother see his struggles. He is not the brightest, but his attitude and demeanor make him an incredibly likable character for the brief time he is on screen. Being the founder of nonprofit, Favored Nations, it's clear that Centineo feels a compulsion to help others, and by bringing Union County's story to life, he will no doubt be helping some audience members feel seen.

Union County is not a film for everyone, and that's okay! Above all, I can't help but feel like this movie was made for one, specific audience demographic: those who have struggled with and overcome substance addiction. While it's not a particularly exciting or action-packed watch, this kind of filmmaking is helping make the world a better place and that will always be worth something.