Alcohol at Wit’s End 2009
Distributed by World Class Educational Entertainment, PO Box 862, Mountain View, CA 94042; 415-516-9538
Produced by Frank J. Bustillo
Director n/a
DVD, color, 33 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Health Sciences, Adolescence, Substance Abuse, Education
Date Entered: 07/08/2010
Reviewed by Buzz Haughton, Shields Library, University of California at DavisAlthough the acting is somewhat amateurish, the plot and descriptive layout of this film are scary in their realism. The main character is an African-American high school student with high grades who makes the misstep of choosing to drink at an evening party. On the way home he is involved in an accident, resulting in the death of an adolescent and critical injury of an adult. Breathalyzer results confirm the arresting officer’s suspicion that the young man was drunk. As fortune would have it, he knows the grandfather of the victim, who confronts him on the courthouse steps at his initial hearing.
Anyone seeing this short film can realize how common this situation is for high-school and college students, and the dreadful consequences of giving in to “being one of the crowd.” The protagonist tries repeatedly to convince himself that what happened was “just an accident,” but the encounter with the dead girl’s grandfather seems to push him into acknowledgement of the fact that a bit more judgment would have saved a life and a lifetime of suffering for him. His interview with his lawyer throws more light on the fact that nowadays U.S. society is unwilling to look upon drunk driving as something minor and easily forgivable.
Highly recommended for high-school through adult populations.