This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat. The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...
Said to be filmed over a period of two years, this documentary follows the journeys of seven gay men struggling with meth addiction and recovery against a backdrop of an emerging wave of HIV infection. From grappling with the drug's effects on their physical and mental health to wrestling with their darkest sexual desires, Rock Bottom delivers a chilling portrait of a community in crisis. The makers use and show us the breeding grounds for this crystal meth addiction like the bathhouses, locker rooms, porn sets and bedrooms of those for whom sex is inseparable from meth use.
Our subjects freely describe the rush of empowerment and the liberation of libido that lets them enjoy sex without thought or precaution. They all, over a period of time want to get clean and connect with people and have a loving boyfriend. We see guys in different stages of their lives. Its scary to see how almost all of them understand the downside of the drug but are at a stage where they have become so dependent on it there is little they can do anything about it. By the end of it, we do see some of them managing to battle through the addiction. Surprisingly, there is no mention about how these men or even otherwise, a meth addict can go about sobering up. I am not sure if back when this documentary was released, if 12 step program was not a thing; but from hat I know now., that program and CMA kind of programs have immensely helped the gay community to battle many addictions, specifically meth. So definitely in addition to seeing the journeys of these people. I would have also liked to hear more about the proposed solutions here.
It's scary but a very true and real portrayal of the control that crystal meth had over gay men in NYC. The documentary even though is made at an extremely low budget with a hand held camera most times, but it does manage to get one thinking. (5/10)

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