davidklein-06399 At the end of it all, this movie is about disappointment. The path taken by both the hopeless alcoholic and the misguided and jaded therapist to achieve their own selfish agendas is flawed and transparent from their first encounter in the parking lot outside of the liquor store. Roberts' angst in the lead permeates every scene. His body is physically dependent on alcohol, and his withdrawal symptoms take him into delirium. The (excellent) set design of his home is not too far off from what reality would show of an true-life alcoholic's living space if he is near the end (hidden bottles of booze, overall disheveled and wretched conditions). His paranoia and fixation on killing his neighbor has taken over his entire consciousness. He's experiencing a mental breakdown, and his grip on reality starts to disintegrateThe booze, of course, will never solve the problems of his life, or provide a solution for the grief of losing his wife and child. But while under the influence, the fantasy of feeling the euphoria of murdering him in cold blood drives his every move. The "Alcoholist" (a clever play on words between "alcohol" and "therapist") Gabrielle Wright uses some outside-the-box strategies in an attempt to rehabilitate Roberts - as a sort-of remedy for her own professional grief of losing a patient she thought she had cured. He insists he is ready to quit drinking, yet she still includes booze as part of his therapy, insisting (perhaps correctly from a physiological standpoint) that his "body isn't ready to quit." Most people do not know this, but if a person who is a daily heavy drinker were to quit "cold turkey", as it were, the person could possibly have a withdrawal induced seizure and die.From a pure diagnostic and therapeutic standpoint, her method is indeed a bit misconceived, but well acted-out. But the premise of the treatment is it's demise. Treachery and doom linger around the film like some kind of trick of the weather. There is a grime to the film that looks to attach itself to the audience - much like the alcohol it depicts. If you're into tragedy, this is way above average. Its not a horror, but it is kind of haunting in the same type of way.

skonowe This was an absolutely stunningly beautiful artistically cinematic and depressing disturbing and horrifying movie all in one it is much more than a man that is battling alcoholism and there's much more to the story than meets the eye it is one of those stores that will stay with you for long after the movie has ended I recommend this to any horror fan the acting is well was absolutely sensational

Michael Ledo Danny (Bret Roberts) has a major league drinking problem. He tries to stop, but can't last seven hours. He also has a demon that visits him. He watches his neighbor closely and desires to kill him, for reasons we discover later. He can't do it because he drinks and get the shakes. He needs to sober up. Claire (Gabriella Wright) is an unorthodox rehab counselor who forces herself into Danny's life violating ethical standards. It is interesting to watch the drama unfold as you don't know where the story leads.Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

somersetboy The lead character renders a real portrayal of a real alcoholic. The acting is good to the point that you are forced to wonder if they got a real alcoholic to act in the movie! The support characters' performances are OK and 'almost' there. There is an overall darkness in the movie without any redeeming qualities. There appears to be an attempt to portray the obsessions, or the hidden darkness, of people with addictions and the people without. But this aspect is not made clear, or explored. I personally had an uncle who was never sober. He died when he was 42 years old from severe liver damage from alcoholism. That said, this movie perhaps tries to be a deterrent to viewers taking up the bottle. I don't see the point. I am not sure if it is effective in that message either. The bottle is taken up, even as this movie acknowledges, as a method of slow suicide. A brokenhearted or suicidal person taking to the bottle has already stopped caring about oneself or others, there is no real message or redemption in the movie. I felt that the movie took something away, my time, my desire to understand, and so on. The movie gave nothing. No entertainment, no real message. It left me depressed and regretting watching the movie. Hence only 4 stars. Just a fair warning.