Monty Lapica's drama Self-Medicated tells the story of a 17-year-old boy who is having a very difficult time dealing with the grief he experiences after his father dies. After the boy slides into a wicked drug addiction, as well as legal problems, his mother reaches the end of her tether and has her son admitted to an adolescent hospital designed to force him into confronting his issues. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
Self-Medicated must have been cathartic for writer-director-producer-star Monty Lapica to make, but its therapeutic value for audiences is questionable.
On the basis of this film, Monty Lapica, at 24, has a career ahead of him as a director, an actor or both. He also has a life ahead of him, which the film does a great deal to make clear.
There are nice touches, particularly in Venora's performance and Timothy Kendall's editing, but the film's maudlin edge illustrates the dangers of directing your own material.
A better choice for the lead role would have made this film a lot more watchable and more importantly, believable. Good story, but contained far too many scenes that could best be decribed as "dripping with cheese".
A moving and well acted drama on the way a mother and her son cope with their grief following the death of their husband and father. The themes of transferred anger and the poisonousness of unresolved grief are powerfully confronting. Lapica's portrayal of Andrew, who on the brink of manhood still thinks and feels as a
little boy in many ways, is excellent. The scene where Andrew finds hope and is eventually able to express his sorrow thanks to the kind ear and words of a homeless man is one of those rare "angel moments" that uplift the heart. I would certainly recommend this film.
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