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67%
Overall Rating
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Ranked #9,968
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After a stint in prison, Sonny returns to his home in East Texas, determined to repair his relationship with his son. Standing in his way is his brother, who has turned the home into a crumbling meth lab.
--IMDb
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This is a late review for me but an early review for most of you. One of the standouts of the 2008 Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, which was held in September, was a picture about a family of crystal meth addicts called "Cook County". It was one of the most disturbing and profoundly exhilarating films I have seen in ages and I expect it will be getting more attention once it finds a distributor. I mean - how do you sell a film that is mired down in misery and pain? How do you attract audiences to a picture that will absolutely leave you depressed and disoriented? It's a chore. But, however it finds its release to the world, I implore you to check it out. It's one of the most honest and convincing stories of addiction I have ever seen played out on screen and it features some truly miraculous performances that should really put these three actors on the map, some for the first time and some again. Director David Pomes has created a front runner for my favorite film of 2009 and one of the best films I have seen in a very long time.
The film centers around a family of crystal meth addicts in the rural countryside. Bump (Anson Mount) is the mastermind - he cooks it, sells it and uses most of it. He is an absolute addict and his addiction has caused him to go somewhat psychotic. His nephew Abe (Ryan Donowho) lives with him and raises Bump's young daughter but doesn't do drugs himself and is desperate to get out of the situation but has no place to go because he doesn't want to leave the little girl alone. One day, Sonny (Xander Berkeley) comes back around - he's Abe's father and Bump's brother and he's been in prison for a long while but has been released as long as he cooperates with authorities and helps bring down some of the higher-ups in the meth trade. As we learn, Sonny was the one who brought meth around in the beginning, but now he's clean and wants to reconnect with his son and start a new life out of prison. Most of the film deals with Sonny's attempts to pull his son and niece out of the mire, while always holding out hope that his brother might be able to come out with them. However, the film doesn't skirt the tough issues and the ending of this film is just exceptional, and something for you to look forward to.
This film is gritty and raw and wonderful. We believe every second of this picture and we believe everything that these characters are going through. The rural landscape and the overall sense of dirt and dismay add a whole new level to the picture that makes what's going on even more disturbing. These are desperate characters who will do whatever it takes. For example - when Bump's father dies of a meth overdose, he drops a bag in his grave with him. Later, when some friends come over and want a bump, he goes out, digs up the bag with his bare hands and they all partake. This might seem like something out of fictional film, but this is what a lot of meth addicts do without any thought whatsoever. It's just another day and another fix. The most sympathetic character is definitely Abe and Bump's daughter and you'll be wide eyed and riled up with anger when you see what happens in the final few minutes. Even though the film has an arc and people do get what they deserve, to call the ending satisfying is just not right. At least you get a little sense of hope at the end. My favorite scene in the film comes when the filmmaker compares and contrasts living conditions at the meth house and at the home of relatives - we switch from a full fridge to an empty one and so on.
The performances are award worthy. The most exceptional is Anson Mount playing one of the most unlikable characters in film history. He is mean, nasty and just plain psychotic and it never lets up. You get the sense he would do anything or hurt anyone to keep his fix going. His performance is truly frightening and he deserves an Academy Award nomination, for certain. Ryan Donowho is always great at playing very young and very innocent and he does so here. It's a wonder he didn't develop lung cancer with as many cigarettes as he smokes in this film. And I have to love the comeback of Xander Berkeley he turns in his best performance to date as Sonny. These three actors chug this film along and make it the remarkable picture it is. Mount's performance drives the uneasiness of the picture and Berkeley's drives the hope. Donowho's performance is there to show you what you can get with either side winning.
I wish I could tell you when this film is going to hit theatres but I can't. I can't even be sure that it will hit theatres at all, given the current economic situation and the difficulty in selling a film like this. My one hope is that some brave distributor out there will latch on to this picture and give it the chance is very much deserves. I dare you to watch this film and not marvel at the achievement of Anson Mount's performance. "Cook County" deals with a subject matter that is very relevant for our times and although the setting is the rural South, it applies to cities all over this country. The crystal meth problem is just enormous and this film definitely shows you the dangers of such a lifestyle. "Cook County" has already solidified a slot on my Best Films of 2009 list. And I cannot see a performance coming along any better than Anson Mount's performance. It's the stuff Oscars are made of, though the film is a little too small to get the recognition.
10/10.
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