New to DVD/VOD this week:
CRYSTAL CITY
Director:
Terrence Crawford
World Premiere:
Cleveland 2019
Select Festivals:
Wicked Queer, Q Doc Portland
About:
Profiles of several gay New Yorkers using or in recovery from crystal meth.
Responding to the open secret of crystal meth use/abuse by gay men, Terrence Crawford’s profiles multiple men who are in recovery, and occasionally relapsing, from its use, as well as one young hustler who is still on meth and doesn’t seem to have any desire to stop. Split into titled chapters, the film explores various aspects of the epidemic, including crystal meth’s history, covalent factors, and recovery programs. The film’s subjects candidly discuss how they were introduced to the drug, and its connections to sex, hustling, and HIV. Crawford assembles a welcome mix of participants reflecting different ages and backgrounds, but there are a few too many, preventing a deeper dive into any individual’s story. The film’s gay male metropolitan context lends an insularity that might prove challenging for outside audiences, but its focus on issues of addiction and sobriety are universal.
what (not) to doc 