Most High

The film opens with an interview in black white of a teen girl and an older man. The girl answers, "When I was younger, when I was like 10 or 11, I was anorexic for a couple years, and then I switched to cutting... started experimenting with heroin a little bit... I thought a drug addict was like... my ideal self..." A close-up of the girls right arm reveals dozens of scars. (0:01)

Now in color we see mental-health technician (?) Julius working with patient Billy at what may be a psychiatric hospital or clinic. Does Billy suffer from autism or mental retardation? (0:03)

During the rest of the film short black-and-white clips of interviews are interspersed until the end where there is a convergence in which Julius, now badly deteriorated, presumably a result of his drug use, undergoes interview in black and white.

Julius drinks while listing his excuses: "Celebrate. Drink. You're sad. You just came home, late, tired. Why don't you have a drink?" (1:15)

Julius finds his surrogate father Jack dead at the wheel of his car. Julius pours Jack's ashes on the baseball field. (0:19)

Jack's daughter Erica snorts a fingernail full of what is apparently cocaine from a small box. (0:28)

Julius helps Billy with a coloring project in the craft room. (0:30)

Interview of older man in black and white: "I'm a recovering alcoholic, addict, and chronic gambler, in recovery from all three... All the drugs and alcohol I was using stopped working." (0:36)

Erica's friend toys with cocaine on a metal tray then snorts some while describing how she had been depressed during an abusive relationship and was stalked after it ended. (0:38)

Julius snorts cocaine. (0:41)

More snorting of cocaine by Julius, Erica, and others, mostly using a rolled up bill and a mirror. (0:46, 0:47, 0:48, 0:49)

Julius snorts cocaine on the top of the toilet tank before he converses with a cockroach. Substance Intoxication Delirium? (0:54)

Erica tells Julius, "You might be able to get it up if you didn't do so much speed." (0:57)

Interview of a recovering counselor: "... being sober... What's left is death." (1:02)

Close up of mainlining, presumably heroin, but with no tourniquet. (1:08)

Syringes and other drug paraphernalia on a tabletop. (1:09)

Brief shots of a syringe with needle. (1:11, 1:12)

Julius' friends May and James present him with flowers for the "one hour anniversary of your sobriety." (1:28)

Interviews of Julius. (1:30, 1:35)

Erica in rehab (?). (1:32)

addict | addiction | Bereavement | cocaine | drug | Intoxication | recovery | self mutilation