TAKING A CRACK AT ADDICTION

Documentary Shows That Anyone Can Be At Risk

Growing up in an idyllic community, with stable friends and good schooling
may have its advantages, but it's no sure-fire recipe for success or happiness.

Local documentary filmmaker Paul Perrier knows full well that a good
upbringing can still lead to a tragic lifestyle, and he captured that truth
in his documentary Cracked Not Broken. The film focuses on Lisa, a
37-year-old woman whose childhood in the tony Deer Park community could not
keep her from a life on the streets, working as a prostitute to fund her
crack cocaine addiction.

Perrier has known Lisa for years, as the subject of his film is a lifelong
friend of his partner Nicol Kalman.

"I was working on a film about one of my friend's battles with addiction
and I asked her in one of her times of sobriety for her advice as someone
who's lived that life," the director said. "She watched it and said, 'If I
ever fall back into (that lifestyle), I'll give you a call and you can film
me.'"

In February 2004, Perrier got the call and arranged to meet Lisa in the
hotel room in which she was living and doing business. The footage he took
that day, shot in the hotel room, shows Lisa taking phone calls from johns
and injecting crack while discussing her lifestyle. The footage is raw,
which suits the subject matter, and Perrier saw the story it told stood on
its own as a documentary.

"When I first saw it, I thought it was really powerful," he said. "I showed
the footage to Lisa and when I saw the reaction she had to the film, I
thought it would really affect other people. Everybody's touched by
addiction, either themselves or someone they know."

While other films have documented the subject matter, Cracked Not Broken is
unique for showing the often ignored fact that it is not confined to
poverty-stricken and crime-ridden neighbourhoods.

"It can happen to anybody, and that's one of the biggest reasons I wanted
to do the movie," Perrier said. "I saw my two kids going to the same school
(that Nicol and Lisa attended) and it's easy to think that it won't happen
at that school, but you can never know."

As a young girl, Lisa lived in a stable and affluent community and attended
Bishop Strachan School along with Kalman when they were younger. Kalman
said that even in those early days, Lisa showed signs that she might fall
in with the wrong crowd.

"She was always a bit rebellious and that's what I always loved about
Lisa," Kalman said. "But there was a time when we weren't such best friends
and I'd run into Lisa at Summerhill station and she'd be high on acid. This
was in Grade 8, and while I'm focused on sports and academics, she's taking
drugs."

Though Perrier's film takes a hard look at a difficult subject, local
broadcasters showed little interest in broadcasting it. When local stations
were slow to jump on board, Perrier screened Cracked Not Broken at local
theatres and showed it to students and parents at a number of private
schools across Toronto.

"There's always a strong reaction from audiences," he said. "What's
interesting, though, is that we'll have one screening for students and
there will be hundreds of kids there, and then we'll have one for parents
and 30 people will come out. In a lot of ways, it's more important for
parents to see the film, but a lot of parents are afraid that if they go to
something like that, people will assume that their kids are using."

Perrier said he was puzzled by the underwhelming response from Canadian
networks, who told him it was not "broadcast quality."

"You get people filming things on their cellphones and the networks will
take it because it gets them into places where news crews might not
otherwise get," Perrier said. "This is the same thing. It was shot on a
Handycam for $30. It's a good Canadian story that's being totally ignored."

Cracked Not Broken has received plenty of acclaim south of the border,
however. It was recently picked up by HBO and will air on a free preview
weekend on Saturday, March 17. Lisa's story was also prominently featured
on an episode of Oprah.

Though the film is gaining steam, Lisa continues to experience ups and
downs in her own battle against drug addiction. She has attended treatment
facilities, though she typically relapses when she re-enters society.

"She's been using really seldomly lately," Kalman said. "I asked her why
she does it and she told me, 'Nicol, when I'm high, I'm sitting in the
corner in the complete dark and freaking out.' She was always the party
girl, but it's not fun for her now, it's the addiction."

Lisa's struggles are documented on her personal blog on the film's website,
www.crackednotbroken.com, which also shows upcoming screenings and provides
visitors with an opportunity to purchase the documentary.

Perrier is currently working on a new project, Cracked Wide Open, that
follows the divergent paths taken by both Lisa and his original film. It
looks at Lisa's steps toward recovery and setbacks, as well as the Deer
Park-based director's efforts to get his film recognized.