Since the inception of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, we have reported on the scourge of opioids in Massachusetts. That coverage has taken various forms, with our most recent investigations focused on the millions of dollars coming to the commonwealth from remediation settlements.
Through the years, we have also worked with Johnny Hickey, the Charlestown-bred independent filmmaker whose 2010 thriller “Oxy Morons” put the state’s epidemic at the time on the cinematic atlas. His work in the decade-plus since has continued to shine light on the crisis in New England in particular, and the insights of his team, many of whom are in recovery themselves or who have family in the throes of drug abuse, have been invaluable to our reporting.
Hickey’s latest film is “Methadone Mile,” a truly raw unfiltered look at life on skid row in the hub, which puts a dramatized lens on the supporting services around the area and those caught in the mix. Starring Hickey, Justina Valentine of MTV fame, and Boston comic legend Lenny Clark, it’s the director’s latest statement on how truly far the problem has spiraled out of control.
“The epidemic grew while [Big Pharma] counted their gain,” Hickey told BINJ. “They turned tragedy into dollars, turned loss into a game. But I don’t fold, don’t sell out, don’t bend to the system—I tell it how it is, so the world listens.”
“Methadone Mile” will play at the Showcase Cinema de Lux Legacy Place in Dedham on Thursday, March 26, and at Showcase Cinemas Lowell on Friday, March 27. Both nights will include a director’s cut of the premiere, along with a short behind-the-scenes documentary on its making and a live Q&A with Hickey.”
“This isn’t just a screening” he said, “it’s a real conversation about the opioid epidemic, told through lived experience and powerful storytelling.”
Hickey continued: “The opiate epidemic didn’t get better—it got quieter. Buried under money, headlines, and fake solutions. I’m not part of that machine—I’m here to expose it, one real story at a time.”
Get your tickets at showcasecinemas.com.
