Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street (2000)

8/10

Gut-wrenching, ugly, fascinating (IMDB rating should be much higher - 1 person's low rating dragged the whole score down)

jpmaijala29 August 2004

I was flipping channels late one evening and I caught the last half of this film. It was horrifying and bleak yet absolutely fascinating, like watching a car accident in slow-motion.

The filmmakers set out to tell the truth about the effects of heroin addiction by following the daily lives of a group of black tar heroin addicts in the San Francisco Bay area. We see them become progressively sicker, thinner, paler and even lose hope of going clean. Three of them (2 guys and a girl) work as prostitutes to support their habit (2 later test positive for HIV). All the while they remain remarkably candid about their condition and we learn all we'd ever want to know about this sad lifestyle.

I recommend this film but people with delicate sensibilities might want to stay away.

Schools and drug awareness programs should use this film!

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9/10

Darkest side of life

MikeK-723 March 2001

The people in this documentary are the saddest, most pathetic group I've ever seen in my life. They shoot up, prostitute, then repeat. Unflinching, pretty hardcore. HBO makes really good documentaries, not trying to sugarcoat or alter society, they convey it to us with a style that is not added, but already there.

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9/10

I have known a few people caught in the horror of heroin, this documentary is very accurate and done well.

Subes28 October 2001

I have known a few people caught in the horror of heroin, this documentary is very accurate and done well. It is very depressing but very true. I only hope HBO will do a follow-up story (if any of the people featured are still alive).

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10/10

alice

angiesgrrrl-110 May 2007

After seeing this documentary, I, like most people, wondered what the fate of those featured was. WELL, surprisingly enough, I was at the dog park today in Portland, Oregon and noticed a familiar face. It was none other than Alice, the punk rock girl from the movie! I found it hard to believe that it was really her, so I went up and talked to her and sure enough, it was! I guess she moved here 6 years ago and has been clean ever since! She told me that they were talking about doing a 'where are they now?' follow-up, but it never happened. I guess the lesbian girl who was working as a sex worker with HIV has since died, but most people are up to the same old. . .sad, but nice to know at the same time. People make choices, you know. Seeing her gave me hope. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me Alice, wherever u are.

xo sigrun

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10/10

Truth

iamtriangled5 October 2006

It was hard to watch the needles in the beginning. Needles in the arm. Neddles in the foot. In the neck. Then the needles stopped mattering. It got hard to watch the users. You end up realizing that these addicts are people, not just dirty bodies walking the streets. You can figure out why these people cannot stop. You see that they made a mistake a long time ago and that mistake held on. All of their friends are part of that mistake. Who do you go to when your trying to fix a mistake? Your friends. Notice how this won't work. This film makes you see these people as people. The types that have to sleep on sidewalks. Find this film and watch it.

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amazingly horrifying and heartbreakingly informative

HellGerm1 April 2001

This documentary came on HBO at 3:45 in the morning, and having skipped it in the past when I had other things to do, I decided to forego sleep for the night in order to see this. I was expecting it to be depressing, but no one could really be prepared for the horrible stories and images of the lives these young people have lived and are currently living. They resort to prostitution, robbery, anything to get their costly daily fix(es), and we are right there watching them follow their downward spirals to what we sadly know will inevitably be a slow, lonely, painful death, whether it be on or off camera. I agree wholeheartedly that this movie is too disgusting to look at at points, yet one that everyone should see, just don't expect to come out of it in too good a mood. If you found yourself affected by the plight of the characters in Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream,check out the even more saddening (I know it's hard to believe) stories of some real, live addicts.

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10/10

top of the class

dan_benbow30 May 2005

the video jacket for this movie says "makes 'Trainspotting' look like an after school special, and they ain't lying. this is the best movie ever about hard drug use - unromantic, colorful, real. the first poster is correct that some gratuitously bad votes have pulled down this first-rate documentary, which should not be seen by squeamish viewers or people looking to have 'entertainment' with their popcorn and soda. no reliance on special effects, contrived whirlwind plots, just the real deal - interesting characters with life stories of a kind your typical middle-class film buff never comes across, parallel stories that develop organically. a great example that you can make a good flick on a small budget (and vice-versa)...

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10/10

Great insight into the life of hardcore heroin addicts

jamie-biggs201026 April 2011

I found the link for this doc on a fellow users blog. It broke my heart, I have been using heroin daily for almost 20 years, I have only 1 usable vein in my neck, I have had DVT in both legs and have lived a truly hectic life as a result of my addiction. That said, my life seems a picnic compared to these poor lost souls. This film really tugged at my heartstrings. These poor kids are living a life of self destruction in the extreme.( And you can bet your last dollar there is an awful underlying reason for it (like a 5 year old girl being raped by her own grandfather). Living in the UK I don't have to worry too much about aids and I think we get better quality heroin here.(The black tar verity has a high acetic acid content which can burn out the vein in double time). It really is an insight into the problems of addiction young people are facing in modern times. I would recommend watching it but be warned, if you have friends or loved ones with a heroin problem, it may open your eyes but will almost certainly break your heart, unless of course your heartless, or have a small minded hatred of addicts. 10/10.

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10/10

A gripping look into today's heroin problem.

jcc22819 December 1999

In an attempt to do the impossible, Black Tar Heroin... is an insiders look into the life of a Heroin addict. This commentary on youth in San Francisco which are involved with Heroin, among other things, is a graphic display of society's problems. Though the movie at some points is to grotesque to watch, it is necessary to show for the value.

Every youth in society as they reach their teen years should be made to watch this movie. It is in the mind of this viewer that many of teenagers would be turned off enough, never to attempt this lifestyle.

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10/10

A pragmatic review of the Heroin lives of Generation X in San Fransisco

alex-kokoves7 April 2011

Warning: Spoilers

A friend of a friend is a user, so we managed to write a short but dense critique on this excellent documentary. We are both Generation Y (24-25), so it's like watching the lives of our imaginary junkie cousins.

First of all, this documentary is true. Well, you're gonna say "aren't documentaries suppose to outline reality?". Yes, but this masterpiece manages to not become over-dramatic, and follow the lives of 5 very different personae.

Second of all, the shocking nature of this work of art is not meant to create an atmosphere of "drugs are bad, okay?" but to portray how the misuse of such a powerful substance can lead to the destruction of many people's lives, when the information about the substance itself, its use and its pharmacology is purely street-wise due to the lack of the Internet.

Today there are a lot of people who we can technically call "addicts", but they live perfectly normal lives because of the information given through the internet, even before start self-medicating with opiates.

We live in a post-curt Cobain world, so when you watch this documentary, try to have in mind how these characters would be if they lived in the age of Web 2.0

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Fascinating depressing the real deal

danbenbow10 April 2003

This is the best anti-drug movie ever. Unlike the many movies that have been made about drugs, that can't help ladling pyrotechnics and playing up the "glory", this movie shows hard drug use for what it is - thoroughly dehumanizing. Enter at your own risk.

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8/10

Heroin unchic

Anenome9 October 2005

This film should definitely be shown as a wake up call for impressionable young people. As these kids mention several times in this movie: "We watched this Sid & Nancy movie, and it lead to this and that" Really, it sometimes doesn't take more than that for a kid to experiment. "Let's be cool, and show a two fingered salute to this tedious world, let's pretend to be rock-stars!" Many young people look up to artists who romanticize the junkie-lifestyle. The problem is that artists usually have the money to buy drugs, places to live etc. Young minds doesn't think of all the gut wrenching horrors and desperation that come in the wake of a junkie-lifestyle (ask Sid how fun his last days were). If this film prevents young people becoming some idiotic Sid Vicious, Courtney Love wannabes, it has served a purpose.

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9/10

A gritty look into the real lives of heroin users.

ReiZer018 December 2016

This documentary is a very dark look into the world of young heroin addicts in the 90s. It shows these young peoples lives taking a downward spiral as their addictions take a hold of them. I personally have never been addicted to any drugs but I always find it interesting to see other people deep into drugs and the reasons behind it. You get a look into each characters lives when they are interviewed and hear the disturbing things they talk about growing up which has contributed to the state of their lives now. I got emotionally attached to the people in this documentary and you see how vulnerable they are. I found this documentary disturbing and also quite emotional especially with one girl and how her life hits rock bottom. It was sad seeing updates on some of these people and what happened to them but I know some of these people turned their lives around. I would recommend this if anyone is into these real life dark documentaries, I think it's very interesting to see what the life of a drug addict is like.

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10/10

One of / if not the best drug documentary

alexandrafrancessmith30 December 2018

I loved this documentary. I've recommended it to everyone.

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Sad.

magellan33317 October 2004

I did not see this documentary in its entirety, but what I did see definitely made an impact. The images are still with me today of those who were ravaged by heroin addiction. I caught the second half. One couple lived in a slummy hotel. The boyfriend was dealing and selling at the same time. He talked about how he once said he would never shoot up; once he began doing that he said he would never shoot through his neck. Sadly, we see him do that during this documentary. The others lives were just as depressing. Two of the addicts call their family members during the documentary. This was sad because it reminds viewers that they still have people who care about them. I would like to see a follow up on those featured. I hope they were able to get help. I agree with other posters that this is a good film to show young people.

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Youtube Update for Black Tar Heroin

jamoore218 May 2012

If anyone is wondering about updates for those who were filmed, check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBhDnVY0f08

I am a documentary lover and while I do not do drugs myself. Docs about different drugs have always fascinated me and is probably a good reason of why I will never try them. I think Black Tar is a great documentary for teens to watch. I live in Montana and meth has been a huge problem for us. Many highschoolers are now doing meth at parties instead of smoking pot or drinking. They need to be educated about all drugs so that they make educated decisions about what they are willing to "try" that could and most likely will lead to addiction and/or death.

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A must see

imdbyes10 December 2008

I've seen a lot of documentary's about drugs, prostitution, and all sorts of things, but this one was the hardest to watch so far, it was just heartbreaking. I can't get it out of my mind. It just kinda sticks with you. It is sad, but it is an important film everyone should see. We see a side of life that many are never exposed too, and will never see--only through a documentary like this one. This documentary went deep, it never held back--it showed us the stark reality that some people have to live while others are busy eating their popcorn in the comfort of their warm houses. This documentary is a must see. It will affect you somehow.

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A must see for youth!!

Blondie_13 November 2002

Every kid should see this very depressing, dark, and scary, and well-made documentary to see how evil drugs really are. It should be a must in any health/safety high school class! I know the documentary was made quite some time ago and I would love to see an update on the young adults who were featured in it. I do know that Tracy, the woman with the long brown hair and glasses, sobered up and is doing well. She was on the Oprah Winfrey show about two years ago on a segment about a women's drug rehab center-she was one of the people who had made it through the program. Sadly though, some of those people featured on the HBO doc looked so near death you know they probably are dead by now.

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