You are here:

American Meth

Name: American Meth
Director: Justin Hunt
Released: 2008
Duration: 72 min

Representation Score

3.1/10

Limited

2008

TV-MA

Director

Justin Hunt

Runtime

72 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

American Meth operates as a traditional social documentary focusing on investigative realism. It centers on depicting a societal crisis and restoring community order. This approach aligns with conventional Western values concerning morality and social stability. The film does not challenge traditional hierarchies based on identity. Instead, it focuses on the devastation caused by a drug epidemic, reinforcing existing social frameworks without deconstructing them. Ultimately, American Meth serves as a study of a specific socio-economic crisis, emphasizing the battle against a scourge while upholding established social norms.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does American Meth have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The documentary does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or non-cisgender identities.

How does American Meth portray gender?

Fair

The film focuses on blue-collar, manual labor environments, which tend to emphasize traditional masculine roles and conventional gender norms.

How racially and ethnically diverse is American Meth?

Limited

While the film covers regions with diverse populations, its focus on blue-collar communities often highlights a homogeneous white working class without much emphasis on multi-layered racial issues.

How does American Meth represent religion and culture?

Limited

The film adheres to traditional Western cautionary tales, presenting drug use as a threat to social stability and emphasizing law-and-order values.

Does American Meth include disability representation?

Fair

The documentary addresses the neurological effects of substance abuse but frames these conditions as problems to be solved rather than through the experiences of neurodivergent individuals.

Present on Screen

It provides a human perspective on the methamphetamine epidemic in rural America.
It explores the harmful physiological and socio-economic impacts of drug use.
It highlights community efforts to address the crisis.

Limited or Absent

It lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities and non-cisgender narratives.
It focuses on traditional masculine roles in blue-collar work settings.
It presents neurological impacts as pathologies rather than through lived experiences.

Official Synopsis

Actor Val Kilmer narrates this powerful film exploring the methamphetamine epidemic that's ravaged blue-collar America. Putting a human face on the problem, filmmaker Justin Hunt reveals the damage being done by this rural drug of choice, as well as the steps being taken by communities across the nation to wipe out the scourge. From Wyoming to New Mexico, Montana and Oregon, American Meth paints a picture of both devastation and hope.

How are these scores produced? →