Cast and Crew

Characters

characters
Aaron
Aaron

A Marine vet carrying more than addiction. He lost his daughter to an overdose — and now he's fighting to stay alive, for real this time.

Pamela
Pamela

She’s been on methadone for years, but still feels judged. A mother in recovery, trying to rebuild trust, one quiet day at a time.

Emma — Played by Skye Barak
Emma — Played by Skye Barak

A single mom stuck on a waiting list. She carries the weight of uncertainty — quietly asking for help in a system that makes her wait.

Dr. Robert DuPont
Dr. Robert DuPont

A longtime voice in America’s medication assistance programs. As the first director of NIDA and later the nation’s Drug Czar (1973–1977), he helped shape national policy on addiction. His legacy looms over every debate about methadone.

Dr. Emily Dufton
Dr. Emily Dufton

Drug Historian and author of the forthcoming Addiction, Inc. Medication-Assisted Treatment and America’s Forgotten War on Drugs., which shows how a radical public health experiment in methadone became a profit-driven industry—and why that history still shapes patients’ lives today.

Melody Glenn, MD
Melody Glenn, MD

Dr. Glenn is an author and associate professor of addiction and emergency medicine at the University of Arizona. Her book, Mother of Methadone (Beacon Press, 2025), blends memoir and history, tracing methadone maintenance and its founder, Dr. Marie Nyswander. 

Lev Facher
Lev Facher

Addiction and overdose crisis reporter at STAT—and a 2025 Gerald Loeb Award winner for his series “The War on Recovery,” which exposed how policy and industry barriers deny many people access to lifesaving, evidence-based medications for opioid addiction.

Frances McGaffery 
Frances McGaffery 

Addiction researcher at Pew, offering data-driven insights into treatment gaps and the human stories behind the numbers.

Steve Nichols
Steve Nichols

Retired Buffalo police captain reflecting on addiction, enforcement, and what he wishes he had known.

Philip Brunner
Philip Brunner

A substance abuse counselor on the front lines — balancing policy, compassion, and the reality of relapse.

Will
Will

A former opioid user reflecting on what it took to get clean — and how close he came to not making it.

Film Crew

  • Mani Mehrvarz

    Director/Producer

  • E.J. Enriquez

    Director of Photography

  • Thomas U. Kim

    Executive Producer

  • Ethan Hayden

    Composer

  • Maryam Muliaee

    Art Direction/Research

  • Matthew A. Nardone

    Cinematographer

  • Tim Dallesandro

    Sound Mixer

  • Micheal Bouquard

    Sound Mixer

  • Todd Wiseman

    Story Consultant

  • Justin Sanchez

    Assistant Producer

  • Christopher D’Addario

    Production Assistant

  • Jordan Geiger

    Story Consultant

  • Mark Pasqualotto

    Gaffer

  • Vicente Rondón

    Photographer/Location Scout

  • Michael Marrone

    Story Consultant