Directed and co-edited by Joe Zappa from a script he co-wrote with Sahil Sharma and co-editor Kip Bennett, the multi-character drama 75 explores Cincinnati’s devastating heroin epidemic in an unflinching manner, resulting in a very urgent, very emotionally resonant film.
Pivoting on the lives of a car-crash victim, a housewife, and two teenagers who are linked by a dedicated therapist who helps them battle their addictions. The busy but coherent plot also follows two socially-jaded detectives who are struggling with the rising war against opiates on their turf.
As this was clearly a low-budget effort, the filmmakers made tremendous use of their physical resources – from the excellent camerawork to the sharp editing to the well-chosen locations – this film feels twice as expensive as it likely was.
I’m not sure of the budget, and it doesn’t matter, but Zappa packs a strong amount of production value into the proceedings, and his direction is likely the strongest overall aspect of the entire piece.
75 feels like the sort of personal piece of storytelling where the filmmaker knew EXACTLY what their intention was, as there are no wasted moments, and in general, there’s a great sense of forward momentum and storytelling economy, from not only the sharply-etched script but to the clinical manner in which the film was directed.
It’s a message movie that certainly gets its message across loud and clear. The performances ranged from excellent to acceptable, and everywhere in between. Some actors were stronger than others, and if some of the newbies felt a bit raw, I find it more engaging when I’m unfamiliar with the on-screen talent, as it brings me into the story a bit more than if the faces are all recognizable In general, there’s a level of verisimilitude that made the entire piece feel “real,” and I really liked that.
The gritty and mostly hand-held cinematography by David James is very strong, and features numerous tracking shots that were seriously impressive on a technical level, but also made organic sense to the story being told.
I think the message that I got from 75 is that we’re still losing the fight against heroin and opioids, but that small victories are made here and there. I appreciated how the film presented a down-beat milieu and that Zappa and his team didn’t try and soften anything with a cheap, phony ending that would have undermined everything that had been set up.
It’s clear that this area of Ohio is a cornerstone of drug activity, and it’s clear that this societal issue means something to the filmmakers. It’s tough subject matter, and because no punches are pulled, it might be too tough for some viewers.
75 is currently available on Amazon as a streaming rental option.
Review by Nick Clement
Summary
Strong-medicine cinema, and sadly, we need that these days. And even though the overall vision that’s presented on-screen is bleak, the manner in which the story is told is entertaining and well-crafted. Myra Zimmerman-Grubbs and Petra Palmer’s production design is strong appropriately grungy lending a realistic feeling to the entire picture.
