By Madison Lee
Film has a unique ability to impact an audience’s view and perception, altering their beliefs and behaviors. This can be both beneficial and harmful, especially if the film speaks on a topic such as drug abuse and addiction.
Addiction can be portrayed in varying levels: Some briefly mentioning or displaying drug use; some highlighting drugs as an escape; and some demonstrating the dangerous aspects of addiction.
The film “A Star Is Born”, released in 2018, follows Jack, a country rock singer battling alcohol and drug use. According to IMDb, the movie depicts the direct consequences of drug abuse and how it takes over Jack and affects not only himself, but also the people around him, eventually leading to his downfall as an artist and person.
Films like “A Star Is Born” highlight the direct effects drug and alcohol use have on an individual and the relationships around them, warning its audience of the harsh realities of addiction. This can be influential, especially for teens, as they can be easily impacted by the narratives around them.
According to the American Psychological Association, teens’ brains are easily influenced by the media because of the shift during this age to seek validation and social rewards.
In the 2000 film “Requiem for a Dream,” the drama film follows main characters who all share one thing in common – they grow a destructive addiction to drugs to pursue their dreams, many growing an addiction to heroin, while another character grows addicted to diet pills, a type of amphetamine. This depicts drugs as helping the characters reach their dreams, while simultaneously causing growing consequences and disparity for themselves.
Alternatively, audiences can be exposed to drug use and abuse casually throughout different films. While drug use may not be the focus of the film, it is carefully integrated into the story, causing audiences to build a resistance and comfortability with seeing drug and alcohol abuse.
This is evident in “Primate,” a highly anticipated film. While the horror story follows a terrifying nightmare come true after their pet chimpanzee turns deadly, the movie does involve drug use, incorporated into some scenes of the film, according to Cine Parenting.
Unlike “Requiem for a Dream,” “Primate” does not directly hold themes of drug use or the consequences of them as shown in “A Star Is Born”. Despite this, however, the casual use of drugs in modern day film creates a normalcy surrounding it, making drug use more of a social norm and less of a health danger.
“Primate” was released in January 2026 and was expected to attract a large older teen audience due to its appeal for horror enthusiasts. Though it may seem like not a significant part of the movie, it carefully reinforces normality with the idea of drug abuse.
While it is easy to watch movies involving drug abuse and feel normalized to it, it is important to take a step back and look at what these stories may mean for people facing addiction and those at risk of addiction.
Using the narratives from films, we can learn from the consequences characters face and be conscious that the romanticized version of addiction isn’t the complete story.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
