"Director Adam Meeks came across a rare piece of good news in the hellscape that is the opioid epidemic: the Ohio drug courts that help to rehabilitate addicts through a system of non-judgmental support and a strict, yet not unforgiving, schedule. His feature debut Union County an extension of a 2020 short shows the positive outcome of treating addiction as a problem to be solved, rather than a lifestyle choice to be demonised."
"Meeks' keenness to remain grounded and authentic, unlike so many other adjacent melodramas, led him to employ non-actors who were in the program at the time. The film opens with a series of real participants presenting to the judge warm and invested which then makes it slightly jarring to see British actor and Marvel survivor Will Poulter stand up, a reminder that we're not actually watching a documentary."
Union County portrays Ohio drug courts as effective rehabilitative systems that combine non-judgmental support with strict but compassionate schedules. The film extends a 2020 short into a feature that treats addiction as a solvable problem rather than a lifestyle choice to be demonised. Authenticity is emphasized through the use of non-actors who were in the program, and by opening with real participants speaking to a judge. Will Poulter appears as Cody after embedding himself in the community, and the narrative follows his quiet, everyday steps toward recovery alongside a foster brother played by Noah Centineo, who is also in the program. The film gains energy from raw, firsthand testimonies about the emotional life revealed by sobriety.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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