Withdrawal

Director Statement

In 2010, I was on the brink of success, I had starred in an Off-Broadway New York Times Critics Pick, received a degree in drama from NYU Tisch, and was working at the coolest nightclub in New York, The Box. But I had a secret…I was addicted to heroin.

Three years later, homeless and shaking from withdrawal, I crawled back to my hometown of Athens, Georgia as just another statistic of the opioid epidemic.

Getting sober was the hardest thing I’d done. And I turned to movies to make sense of the wreckage. Watching films about addiction gave me hope that I wasn’t alone and reignited an artistic spark that had long since been burned out.

Twelve years later and I am incredibly grateful to have made my first feature film, Withdrawal. Inspired by my lived experience, and made by a diverse group of DIY artists, the film aims to humanize this crisis and to paint an honest portrait of modern addiction filled with heart, hurt, and humor.

Yours in Cinema,
Aaron Strand