All American Zombie Drugs
Movies revolving around drug use are hard to get right. It really boils down to what you want to say about it, I think. Something like “Half Baked” revolves around using drugs, but ultimately uses them as a catalyst for comedy. Kevin Smith’s Jersey movies and “Pulp Fiction” are more casual about it, using it as a part of the scenery, as opposed to an integral part of the story. As it progressed through its 99 minutes, “All American Zombie Drugs,” made in 2010, but being released independently this year, seems to go the “Half Baked” route, while also attempting to say something substantial about drug use.
The film centers around Sebastian (Beau Nelson) and Vinny (Wolfgang Weber), who haven’t changed since high school, which is to say they’re doing as many drugs as they did then. Now in their 20s, they don’t seem to have much of a future, except when they decide to try and sell drugs around town. How will two habitual users manage to run a business, however? That’s kind of what the movie’s about, people.
Writer-director Alex Ballar takes an almost aimless approach to the storytelling in this film; that’s kind of fitting given the characters at the center. At first, it’s a bit jarring, and I found my interest waning, but as the story progressed, I was engrossed in what Ballar was doing with this film. In tone, it’s kind of all over the place, and sometimes, the comedy feels out-of-place, and a little forced.
And then, the film gets to the end, where we finally get a glimpse of where the “zombie” of the title comes into play; up until the last 20 minutes, I thought zombie was referring to the perpetual state of malaise Sebastian, Vinny, and their female pals Kara (Susan Graham) and Melissa (Natalie Irby) find themselves in when they get high. However, Ballar finds an intriguing twist on not only the zombie genre (albeit one based in some scientific reality), but also finds a way to get a real moral through without being preachy. That last 20 minutes helps “All American Zombie Drugs” crystallize the themes it looks at in a way that is highly satisfying, regardless of the bumps it hits along the way. It’s a pleasant little surprise that one only, really gets with this type of low-budget film.
