TV Review

MTV FILM EXAMINES THE COMPLEXITIES OF DRUG USE

There are never easy explanations for why people become addicted to drugs.
It's easy to blame the problem on peer pressure, but it's often more
complicated than that.

That's why there's some value to the movie Wasted (8 p.m. Sunday, MTV). By
examining the lives of three high school students, we get a clearer -- and
more complex -- picture of why some people become addicts.

Wasted focuses on white kids living in suburbia -- a fact that should be
taken into account before drawing any blanket conclusions. The film is a
response to a string of heroin-overdose fatalities in Plano, Texas in the
mid-'90s.

Sam (Summer Phoenix) and her boyfriend Owen (Aaron Paul) are casual heroin
users. Their friend Chris (In the Bedroom's Nick Stahl), a budding track
star, watches without judgment but does not partake.

Sam and Owen's drug use escalates. Early on, Sam overdoses but recovers.
She leans on Chris during this time, revealing her insecurities.

Unhappy at home and frustrated by curiosity, Chris decides to try heroin
himself -- one time only. But the next day, at restless Owen's urging, he
uses again. Then, again. When he and Owen have a violent run-in with a
dealer, a confused and afraid Chris reaches out to Sam. She tries to help,
but it's too much for her. Soon, all three are using.

Their inevitable downward spiral plays out, with a predictable, horrific
outcome.

Director Stephen Kay seems intent on giving the film a look of
authenticity, shooting in a quasi-documentary style that includes shaky,
hand-held camera movements and unusual editing techniques.

The film's interesting look is complemented by Craig Machen's script, which
has a real-deal sound, and by competent performances by the three young
principals.

Wasted, 8 p.m. Sunday, MTV. Grade: B.