Photo Credit (image.net)

If you wonder how Oceana, West Virginia got its stigmatized nickname “Oxyana,” a stunning Tribeca documentary of the same title unravels the story. 

The film opens with a young man holding up his deceased family member’s old shirt. 

“I put this on his coffin,” he said. “It sucks… It’s all I’ve got left of my family.”

Oceana is a quiet, peaceful town in Wyoming County, West Virginia. But behind the nice façade, something slowly breaks down and even kills the population: prescription pills, namely oxycontin (hence the name “Oxyana”). 

“It’s an epidemic here,” one interviewee said. “Everyone’s dabbled in something.”

From eight-year-old children to 80-year-old adults, people across the board in Oceana are hooked on pills. Some younger people who were interviewed said that people turn to drugs because there are no movie theatres, no malls and nothing to distract the residents and give them something to pass the time. 

How did Oceana become the center of a drug epidemic? Well, pills became an easily accessible commodity once people discovered fabricated stories of pain could lead to a doctor’s prescription.  

According to a doctor featured in the documentary, West Virginia is the most medicated state, with the most prescription pills per population than any other U.S. state. The hospital deals with an overdose that leads to deaths every single day. 

Through emotional interviews, we get a glimpse into the lives of the people affected by the pill epidemic. “Oxyana” (directed by Sean Dunne) is hard to watch. Several of the interviewees snort, shoot and smoke various drugs during the interviews, which not only makes the audience uncomfortable, but also communicates the situation in Oceana on a deeper level and makes the problem even more real. The filmmakers don’t shy away from the reality of the situation; they capture the struggling people in their element. The eerie, slow-paced instrumental soundtrack played over a scenic, but haunting, landscape adds to the uncomfortable aspect of the film. 

The testaments are shocking to take in. A 23-year-old man stated that half of his high school graduating class has already died from pill overdoses. Another man’s father killed two family members while under the influence. 

The drug becomes, in a sense, a character in the film as the interviewees comment on how the pill “controls your life,” “takes everything away” and provides “the best feeling in the world.” You get an intimate sense of the depth of the problem. Even though the film depicts a dark, struggling population, you still feel a sense of hope from these people - a desperate cry for help to bring the town out of its current situation. 

The film ends with lingering individual shots of every interviewee looking into the camera. Some lightly smile and some have tears in their eyes. Despite the darkness of the film – both the subject matter along with the lighting and soundtrack – the ending brings about a sense of hope and action. Something needs to be done about the drug issue in America and the dialogue must start now.  

“Oxyana” walked away from Tribeca with a Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary Feature and an award for Best New Documentary Director. 

“Sean Dunne's Oxyana is a major accomplishment, deeply sad without being sentimental, fearless, unblinking and deft in the filmmaker’s ability to coax harrowing stories from his subjects,” said the jury, according to a Tribeca press release. “We will never forget the faces of these people, their stories and their struggles.”

Reach Katie Lemon here.