Ocean Boulevard (A provocative short film about heroin addiction)🎬

Oceans Boulevard is a short film about heroin addiction set in the popular family vacation destination Myrtle Beach, S.C. written, directed and produced by young filmmaker Zoe Miller. This film is such a strong reminder that as we go through our regular everyday life, going to school and driving to work, cooking dinner, going out to eat with friends, that in every single city, there's this whole underground secret world happening. And we can't just pretend that it's not. This film, which is set in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a family vacation spot that I've personally been to many, many times. When you see these scenes and you remember being there, watching these places that you've been before, that you've taken your family, that you've had your picture made, but seeing all these other things that are going on, it's just a shocking reminder of what's really happening just below the surf. Now, if you're new to this channel, welcome to Put the Shovel Down. I'm Amber Hollingsworth and this channel is designed to help you understand the science and psychology of addiction, which is exactly what this film does. It's this really gritty close up view of what goes on in the mind of someone stuck in heroin addiction. Not only was this film inspiring to get to watch, but I actually got the opportunity to interview Zoe Miller, the filmmaker, about this film. And I'd like to share that with you now. And I'll also let you know how to get a hold of Zoe yourself in case you'd like to schedule a viewing of this film in your city.

We are having a party dancing to the music played by the DJ on the radio. So listen Mr. DJ, keep those records playing. Cause I'm having such a good time Dancing with my baby.

Zoe, tell us a little bit about maybe before we talk about the film, maybe about just you and how you got into film school. What's your origin story?

Yes, so actually I started working on this film when I was 16 years old. Yeah, I was really young. And that's actually because I was touring across the state of South Carolina shooting a documentary about certified peer support specialist.

Okay.

And at the time, I actually was at the J. Rubin Long Detention Center. And that's where I met two of the three guys that the film is based on. And I was just so inspired by their stories. It immediately I just felt called to make something. And that's just when I immediately started doing some research and educating myself on the opioid epidemic and substance use disorder. And so that's kind of how it all got started.

Now, just to clarify, you Said you were at the detention center. You were at the detention center as.

A detainee, as a student, as a filmmaker. I was shooting some B roll inside of the detention center. I was capturing what Lillian and Jonathan were doing there because they were working as CPss.

What got you interested in doing that in the first place? The doing a film about certified peer support specialists.

So my mom is actually a social worker.

Okay.

And I've always had a passion for photography and video. And they really needed someone to make a little tiny video about what different CPs were doing in South Carolina. And I kind of turned it into this documentary just because I was so interested by it. So.

And you're vision for what addiction looks like because you sort of showed the story of this one character. William. Is the character's name William or that's the person.

That's the real person's name. The character's name is Jonathan.

The character's name is Jonathan. And so you're sort of showing Jonathan over the course of a few days, I guess, in his life and have not being a person in recovery. How did you visualize that? Because you had to have some vision to pull that off.

Yeah, that was. That definitely was why the project took so long to execute. Like in 2016, I had just, you know, discovered this issue. I was. I was more on the mental health side of things. And so once they started sharing their story, that's when I really started to open my eyes to substance use disorder, opioid epidemic, especially, you know, the large amount of opioid use in Myrtle beach specifically because at the time they were number one in the state for opioid overdose deaths. And honestly, a lot of it was just interviewing the guys, hearing their stories. They were super vulnerable and they really shared a lot of detail which kind of helped me picture it. But then on the flip side, I was also studying like criminal and addictive thinking patterns and really just trying to get into the mindset so that I could portray it authentically. Because the whole goal was to show at least a glimpse of what it actually looks like. Because most. Most movies don't even get close. You know, it's completely glorified or completely inaccurate. So that's why I took my time to be able to really hone in on what that looks like right now.

I think you did a good job. I've been in places like that. I've been in scenes like that. And that looked pretty. That looked pretty on course to me.

Yeah.

Ok. All right. And so it's called Ocean's Boulevard, and it's set in Myrtle Beach. And the other part that was particularly impactful for me is because I've been to Myrtle beach lots of times. And so, so many of those scenes, I'm like, oh, my gosh, I have my picture right there. You know, and so it's like, wow. I mean, that also, I guess, hits home if you've. If you've ever been there. Just the whole setting really hits home. And it was.

It's set in Myrtle beach because all three of the guys that it's based on, you know, when they were in active addiction, they were in Myrtle Beach. So it really is just staying true to their. And, you know, the important thing is, is that for this film, it's not only about Myrtle Beach. I mean, every. Every place in the nation is experiencing this. This is definitely a broader spectrum thing, but it was special being able to shoot it somewhere. That was like a second home to me, for sure.

Okay, and then the actors that played in the film, how did you find them? Tell me how that piece came together.

Yeah, so because it really was a small project in the beginning, I didn't have, like, the resources of, like, casting director or anything like that. So it really was just a lot of hunting down, looking for the right person. And I actually reached out to David Flannery because I saw his real, and I thought he would really do a good job portraying the character. But I told him up front, like, I really want this to be authentic. I really want you to understand if you're going to take on this role, I really, really think it's important that you connect with the guys that it's based on. Then he really took that and just ran with it. And I think that's why he did such a good job in this role, is because he took his time. He really studied, and he just wanted to do it right. He wanted to do the stories justice. And I think that really came to life in the film. I thought he did a fantastic job.

Oh, I think I told you that. I thought it was, like, real. Like you were following the camera until the end. I was like, what? That didn't like, I was thinking to myself, I'm like, wow, how do they get those people, like, that camera in there? But I always think that when I watch Intervention too. So, yeah, I really thought that was like, you were filming it as it was happening.

It felt real.

Yeah, it really did. So, so essentially, Ocean's Boulevard is a. It's a short film, and it's sort of designed to Sort of show the realness of what that life is like. Yes. And how do you get to see it?

Or how does someone else get to see it?

I guess.

Yeah. Right now we're doing. Basically, we're touring across the Southeast and we're trying to get it out to as many different cities as possible, really, just so that we can share a message of hope. And a lot of people, when they see the film, they're like, wow, this is very intense. Because it is. You can't make a film that's authentic about heroin addiction and not have some intense content. But really, the panel follows after each screening. And that panel discussion with the people that it's based on shows the hope and shows that recovery is possible. So we're trying to share that message with as many people as we want to. This film is for everybody. It's really meant for the people that don't know what substance use disorder looks like. And so a lot of times it's the people in long term recovery bringing in other people from the community, which is incredibly valuable.

Okay, I like that.

That's good.

And so how does someone get this film to come to their city?

Yeah. So to host a screening, you can reach out to me and I can give you a little bit more information about what it looks like. But really the main requirements are that you have a space that has, like audio, visual equipment that can see a number of people. Because usually when we come to a city, there's a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of participation.

Okay. And so I will put your contact details in the description of this video so people will know how to reach out to you if they want to bring that to their city. And I know we have a lot of people that are watching our videos all over, everywhere, apparently. And so, yeah, and some of those people are involved in advocacy and belong to groups, like whole groups that may want to see it and things like that. So if you're one of those people out there and you're watching this video, I encourage you to contact Zoe. I know a friend of mine, Nate Tate, contacted me and he said, hey, we're bringing this. You want to come? And I was excited about it. So I think it does draw a good audience and it has a. It has an important message. It really is. It's different. Well, I was talking to a couple of group members of mine that went when we saw the film over the weekend, and they have a suggestion. They wanted me to tell you about your next film. So in our office, we see a lot of What I would call functional addicts and alcoholics. Now, in your film, I would definitely say that is a non functional addiction story. But what we see a lot of is people who have good jobs, college students, smart, successful health care business owners, and they have this whole secret life going on. And I think that's important because a lot of times people do have that sort of end of the road vision in their head, which in my mind, makes a lot of people who are already on that path, the ones that we see think, oh, I don't have that problem, because that's what it looks like. And we see it in suits and ties in our office. Yeah. And so, I don't know, there's just a whole other piece of it. So that's our suggestion if you're gonna make another.

I like that idea too. And I think that unless you read about the film, a lot of people don't realize this. And part of the problem is just because it is a short film, you know, you can't put everything in there. You really have to compact it down. But the film itself is showing the main character's relapse on heroin. And so it is implied that he was using. It was more of that, like, suit and tie, like, almost like a dual life thing. And I think that would be cool to even show what happened leading up. One of the most important things for me when making this film and collaborating with a team of filmmakers was to make sure that everyone understood why we were there and what we were doing. And so whenever I was talking to somebody who was interested in being a part of the cast of the crew, it was that, like, do you know anyone that's been affected? Is this something that hits close to home to you? And we had those honest conversations. And it ended up being that almost every single person that worked on this film had been touched by some form of opioid or heroin use. And the only person that said they didn't have anybody was actually our lead actor. But then shortly after we finished filming, about three weeks after, he received a call that his brother overdosed and died from opioid use. And this was something that completely blindsided their family. It wasn't something that they were aware of. And yeah, it was just really just crazy timing that this happened. I mean, he was just in Myrtle beach with all these people in recovery. I mean, we were sitting down in a motel room and they were teaching him how to shoot up heroin because he had absolutely no idea where to even begin with that. And then three weeks later, you Find out that your brother died from this. It was definitely an eye opening experience for everybody and it hit home for the entire cast and crew. And we were also touched by the story that we actually decided to open the Daniel Flannery Fund, which is our scholarship program. So a portion of the ticket proceeds goes to this scholarship and it helps jumpstart the process for individuals who can't afford treatment. Because for a lot of people, that is the first step and that can be an obstacle if they can't afford it or their insurance doesn't cover it. So that's kind of what we've done to carry on the legacy and we've dedicated the film to his brother Daniel. But, yeah, that was one of the most unexpected things that happened.

I think a lot of people might think, how does someone get that far into addiction and it not be known? But with opiate addiction particularly, that goes on for years and years before anyone knows. And people look very, very, very functional. They can be play of the month, they can be making straight A's. In fact, the. If they're, especially if they're using pain pills, they'll function better for many a long time, many years until it gets bad. And so I know a lot of the families that we see, we first meet them, they. They feel like, how did that go on so long with. Without my knowing? And with that particular drug, it really can.

Yeah.

Yes.

And that's honestly what his experience and his family. It also showed us how much we really needed in the panel discussion to focus on how it can impact families and educating families and making them aware of different signs or giving them local resources. Because that's just something like families struggle because they don't know who to talk to. They don't know where to go because it is. It's not as much anymore, but it still is more of a taboo subject. So we're really trying to shed light on that and try and end the stigma and show like, this is what it looks like. Here are some resources and empower them to seek help.

Right. Yeah. There really is a lack of. There's a lack of resources out there for families who feel desperate. Well, thank you for doing the interview. It's super exciting and like I said, I loved it and I support what you're doing. I think it's great.

Oh, thank you.

You know, I think if you're really going to beat addiction, it's so important to understand how it works. What's the psychology? Because that's the very key that's going to tell you how to win this war.

So next up, I'm going to tell.

You about my top most favorite books about addiction.