COCAINE ANGEL captures a grinding and tragic week in the life of a weary young drug addict who is clinging to the remnants of his once hopeful existence amidst the stink, the sweat, and unforgiving heat of Jacksonville, Florida.
On the surface, COCAINE ANGEL might seem like another hopelessly bleak portrait of the dangers of drug addiction. Yet my purpose for making the film--so powerfully written by the film's producer and star, Damian Lahey--was to address a theme to which everyone can relate: the sad passage of time. How we wake up one day and realize that we're no longer the person we once were. Gone are the dreams and hopes and desires that once fueled our lives and gave us a reason to wake up each day. Now, all that remains is a sad emptiness and the recognition that those dreams and hopes and desires are nothing more than irreclaimable memories. Of course, when reaching the end of the line with substances, that feeling is magnified, and that is why I connected even more deeply to Damian's script. Yet my ultimate wish is that viewers will not judge Scott for his actions and will instead come to a greater understanding, that perhaps we aren't as in control of our own destinies as we might think we are. We do things for reasons unknown to ourselves even, yet when we finally manage to grasp the weight of our actions, it's often too late. But not always. Just most of the time.
