Body Brokers is a drama about people addicted to drugs and, at the same time, uncovers the millionaire business behind rehabilitation programs. If the war on drugs is unwinnable, worse is the whole tangle of shady business that the wolves who want to eat all the sheep take advantage of.
*filmmaker John Swab debuted in 2016 writing and directing with Corey Asraf, the film Let Me Make You a Martyr, which had among its protagonists, the now sunk in the controversy for the abuse towards several of his ex-partners, the singer Marilyn Manson.
Then, in 2019 he returned to write and direct, now solo, a sordid crime drama, starring actor Michael Pitt: Run with the Hunted. Also set in Tulsa, the city where the director was born and raised.
The filmmaker's stories deal with crime, the dark side of people and are set in sordid environments. John Swab knows that world very well, a few years ago he was a man addicted to crack and all kinds of hard drugs.
Swab is the perfect example that there is salvation from addiction, considered an outcast in his city, a nobody, who only lived to get high, he managed to find a way to quit the addiction, started making movies and in 2019 he was named the Tulsan of the year. His life is a story of overcoming. I invite you to read the article published by Tulsa World: Link to be amazed by the filmmaker's true story.
His latest film is Body Brokers and it touches on themes that the director knows very well, but this time he goes further, delving into the depths of the corruption that surrounds the whole business of private rehab centers.
What is the plot of Body Brokers?
A couple of junkies from Ohio, named Utah and Opal, are two young men who live on the streets, committing shoplifting or prostitution, to get money to buy heroin, they are totally addicted to drugs. One day, outside a coffee shop, they meet a man named Wood, who invites them to eat hamburgers and makes them a proposition. Wood can help them get into a rehabilitation program, without having to pay anything. Opal is not convinced, but Utah decides to agree to travel with Wood to Los Angeles and enter the clinic. While in rehab, Wood shows her the business and they begin working together. Through Utah's character we will discover everything behind the rehab clinics and how people have become millionaires. There is no room for scruples, compassion or regrets, it is a business that has its risks. Will Utah be able to endure it? Is he prepared for everything he will have to do? Will he succeed and become a rich man like Wood?
Nothing is free in life. When someone offers you something that benefits you and you don't have to pay a dime, there's something dark behind it all.
Wood is a former addict, a man who lived on the streets and his life was a mess. But he understood how the system works, he was smart and became a hunter. Where people see misery, young drug addicts living on the streets, he sees money, lots of money.
No one better than a former addict to convince drug addicts to join the rehab program. Every person he recruits and gets into the program through his company generates huge sums of money for him.
For everyone in that business, they no longer see sick people, they are just a commodity that they will use over and over again to commit fraud against the system. They don't really want to save anyone, they only need them for a certain time in the clinic and after they return to everyday life, they go back to drugging, to repeat the cycle again.
The whole process is explained in the film, with scenes inserted in the style of the movie The Big Short, but this time, in the world of rehabilitation clinics for drug addicts. Where there is an extensive network of corruption in which everyone takes the money.
From the influential man, the one who gives talks and lectures all over the country, appears on television and is synonymous with self-improvement, to the doctors, nurses, directors of rehabilitation clinics and finally the recruiters, that kind of brokers who look for the merchandise (drug addicts) and negotiate with them to get them into treatment.
Utah is a character who seems lost, being rehabilitated, he feels empty and does not know what to do with his life. Seeing that there is a lot of money to be made, he starts working with Wood. The young drug addict is discovering and learning all about the business.
Moral conflicts soon arise. Utah is a good guy at heart, he has had a hard life on the streets, he has fought against all impulses not to fall back into drugs and he wants to make money. But there are things that bother him, though he tries not to let them get to him.
The film is divided into Utah's personal life, his overcoming drugs, the relationship with Opal, the relationship with a new girl, the change of lifestyle, but with the latent danger of falling back into drugs, the temptation is always present.
The other part is the description of all the business that is hidden in the rehabilitation treatments, and how many of those who are there, endure the 30 days or 90 days in the clinic, to collect their share of the money and return to using drugs. In and out each time, generating more money for the powerful who control it all.
I enjoyed the film and I know you will be surprised to see how fraud is handled in these drug clinics. It is the part that impacted me the most and kept my interest.
According to the director, he interviewed hundreds of patients held in these clinics, based on real testimonies to create this fictional story. Since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2008, these clinics have multiplied in the state of California, generating a business worth millions of dollars a year. Of course the film is fiction, but it is inspired by facts that still occur and that the director exposes, I recommend you to read this interview with the Observer, where he is asked if he fears for his life, showing the magnitude of the fraud that is committed: Link
The Cast
The fact that it is a small film, does not prevent it from having several talented actors in the cast.
The one who stands out the most, is Michael K. Williams playing Wood, the former drug addict who is now a rich man, dealing with addicts. He is the recruiter, the middle man. I admire this actor very much, he is excellent, whatever role he plays in any movie or TV series. He is one of the stars that emerged from the masterpiece The Wire, where he played the iconic Omar Little. He would also give us another memorable character, that of Chalky in the series Boardwall Empire. God bless this actor and I hope he lives a long time to continue offering us his acting talent.
Jack Kilmer plays Utah, the young drug addict who accepts Wood's offer and enters the clinic, only to become another recruiter. If his performance is good, he conveys that sense of emptiness and disinterest in life. He has been criticized for his performance, that the character is not that interesting, but I think that is the way the director wanted to portray the character. I saw this young actor in the movie Lord of Chaos and I don't remember the name of another movie where he appears. Look up his filmography on IMDB if you're interested in learning about him.
Australian Alice Englert plays Opal, the drug addict girl who is Utah's partner. She refuses to enter the clinic and breaks off her relationship with Utah, but Wood finally convinces her by telling her that she will be paid for the 30-day stay. She is a lost soul, it will be impossible to get her out of the hole. The actress was seen in the series Ratched and previously worked in the films Beautiful Creatures and Ginger & Rose.
Melissa Leo plays Dr. White, a therapist at the rehab clinic. A very minor character, I would have liked to see more of her on screen. Actress Jessica Rothe plays May, one of the girls who works at the clinic and who, some time later, will have a courtship with Utah. She is another former drug addict who works at the clinic, but is unaware of the whole system of corruption.
Finally there is the actor Frank Grillo, playing Vin, the star man who gives lectures and speeches of overcoming, he is the boss of the whole business, behind that facade of good person, he is actually a despicable being. Now many know him from being part of the Marvel universe and some of The Purge movies. But I remember him from the Kingdom series, where he played Alvey Kulina, the gym owner and former mixed martial arts champion. His performance in the film is not very outstanding, but he delivers.
Body Brokers shows a reality that many of us don't want to see. Drug addiction, especially in the United States, is a big problem. Not only is drug trafficking destroying the lives of many young people, now there are criminal groups taking advantage of the health care system, to make money, taking advantage of these addicted and sick people. Trafficking with them as if they were a commodity.
A film that shows us a sad reality and that unfortunately does not have more support, I think it is a film, that leaving aside its small flaws, it is important to see it and discuss the crude message it brings us. Society is totally screwed up, and the most fragile people are the ones who end up worse off. The ending is totally shattering.
After watching it, stop by my blog and leave a comment with your opinion.
My Rating
3.7/5
Trailer
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