Self Medicated

Movie Information

Score:

Genre: Drama
Director: Monty Lapica
Starring: Diane Verona, Monty Lapica, Michael Bowen, Greg Germann, Kristina Anapau
Rated: NR

Film-school grad and first-time filmmaker Monty Lapica overcomes a slightly off-putting screen presence and the fact that he’s a little too long in the tooth to be playing a high-school kid in the surprisingly assured Self Medicated, released in 2005. Lapica plays Andrew Eriksen (a thinly veiled version of himself), a high-school whiz kid who’s never come to terms with the death of his father and has descended into alcohol and drug abuse, leading to increasingly erratic, sociopathic and self-destructive behavior. His distraught (and pill-addicted) mother has him carted off to a hardcore lock-down rehab facility, which doesn’t prove to be a road to recovery.

Questions aside of how well Lapica will fare when he tackles material not directly related to his own life, this is a well-made, well-judged film that’s both effective and affecting. Photographed in a dark-edged style by low-budget cinematography veteran Denis Maloney, the film has a look far better than its budget would suggest. A daunting and impressive debut.

— reviewed by Ken Hanke

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About Ken Hanke
Head film critic for Mountain Xpress from December 2000 until his death in June 2016. Author of books "Ken Russell's Films," "Charlie Chan at the Movies," "A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series," "Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker."

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2 thoughts on “Self Medicated

  1. Ken Hanke

    I was pleasantly surprised to see this film listed as getting a theatrical release. It’s certainly an auddacious debut work.

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