Escaping from your inner demons and attempting to claw your way out of the depths of struggle can be an arduous task. For those who actively seek to better themselves, the process can come at a cost. Final Recovery , directed by Harley Wallen, explores this topic by focusing on one man’s desire to start a new life, while facing literal and metaphorical monsters.
The opening sequence of the film is an avant-garde, black and white shot from the ‘70’s of a little girl witnessing her father’s brutal murder at the hands of a drug addict. It’s quick and effective, and we as the audience immediately know that this will somehow come into play later on.
Cut to present day, where we are introduced to Rodney (Jasper Cole), an addict who is seeking help to overcome his battles and kick his habits by checking himself into the secluded Sage Treatment Facility. At first, Sage appears to be your typical rehab center. There’s group activities, therapy sessions, and tough love nurses who dole out medication only when the condition of the guests seem dire.
Sage is led by the grandmotherly Nanny Lou (Charlene Tilton), who is equal parts firm and encouraging to her fellow patients. At first, she comes across exactly how you’d expect a woman in her position to be, which is part of the fun of this film. She helps teach crochet, but delivers a stern hand if anyone falls out of line.
When Rodney gets placed in a room with Dustin (Damien Chinappi), the two initially have understandable friction. After all, they’re both in the throes of withdrawal symptoms, and forced to spend virtually all their time with one another.
As time goes on, however, it becomes evident that not all is right with Nanny Lou, or the establishment that she’s running. Once Rodney and Dustin catch wind of this, it quickly escalates into a fight for survival against the one person they thought they could trust, and never would have expected to be the villain of their story.
Final Recovery is a slow burn that takes its time to fully immerse you into the characters and the new world they’re experiencing. It admittingly feels plodding in the beginning, and seems as though nothing horrific is happening, but this is all part of the bigger plan. This is a story that feeds on character development.
Rodney and Dustin are, at their core, addicts who are suffering. That may be a difficult persona for some to get behind. So, in this instance, the build up only helps the climax mean more. Over time, however, you get to know these characters and realize they aren’t bad people. Rodney desperately wants to reconnect with his daughter, and is willing to do anything he can within his ability to do so. That’s an admirable trait, that quickly pulls the audience in.
The final act of Final Recovery is when the tension truly ramps up. This is when the horror aspects kick into high gear, in unexpected and interesting ways. By now, the viewers are invested in Rodney and Dustin, their unlikely friendship, and how they are going to overcome the hell they are thrust into.
While this is very much an indie film in terms of cinematography and dialogue, the performances of Tilton and Cole, specifically, are what really drive this movie forward. It’s very easy to form an attachment to Rodney and want to root for him. So much so, that you may find yourself thinking about him after the final credits roll. There isn’t a much higher praise to the creators than that.
While Final Recovery may feel slow to start, it’s absolutely worth sticking through to the end, particularly for the unconventional characters and unexpected villains. This very well may be Wallen’s best film to date, and only sets the standard for what’s to come in the future.
