The searingly candid and painful documentary, 'Our American Family', follows 29-year-old Nicole and her immediate family in the weeks surrounding her most recent, near-fatal overdose. The family unit includes Nicole's unremitting mother, Linda, her two squabbling 20-something brothers, Nicole's darling, two-year old daughter and Linda's husband, Bryan. The family lives altogether under one roof in a Philadelphia suburb. The family shares the responsibilities for raising Nicole's toddler, and providing her support for staying sober and drug free. Directors Sean O'Grady and Hall Adelman wisely stay invisible and keep the focus mainly inside the family home. This is an intimate, behind the doors look at the reverberating strains Nicole's addiction imparts on her and relationships within the family. It's wrenching to watch. Nicole's latest overdose brings her to a residential rehab clinic for help. Here she takes us on a holiday decorated home tour with a jovial attitude and introduces us to other female residents. The women's bonding feels more like a kumbaya moment, masking the journey that led them here. The reasons for their odyssey or what recovery entails is not made clear. Linda, a yoga guru, admits having dealt with her own addiction and blames herself in part for her daughter following in her troubled footsteps. Familial ties appear steadfast although not without bitter squabbles and recriminations. Are Nicole's brothers living at home to help their sister or as a safety net for their own failings? It's easy to understand why Nicole's step-dad is fed-up with her never-ending destructive behaviors. Bryan's love for his wife may reach its breaking point. Signing on for living with Linda's adult children, a step-grandchild and all their toxic demands is something most marriages wouldn't survive. There's no preaching or declaring what steps are needed to combat addiction. Nor are few reasons offered for Nicole's drug use aside from low self-esteem and her mom's history. The film does provide a candid look at how families member's lives are impacted by their loved ones battling the disease of addiction. For families or individuals burdened with drug maladies, this documentary will feel relatable. Those expecting a deeper empathy for drug addicts, the stigma attached may only be re-enforced. Bryan contends drug addiction is not analogous to terminal diseases. Those with cancer, "don't go through your wallet while you're sleeping. They don't get arrested because they're trying to get chemo."
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