People are quick to demonise those that transgress against what society considers normal, and people with addiction are very susceptible to this kind of hate and preconceptions. How quickly are people with drug problems labelled as 'junkies' who are undeserving of help, for example? Those who fall into the trap of drug addiction are often left to sink further into it, as society deems their problems to be self inflicted, something that they chose. This largely ignores how addiction is considered a disease by most major medical associations, and how societal inequality is often a factor for those with drug addiction ending up in situations where they need to turn to crime to fund their addiction. Drug addicts are painted as monsters, as people who failed and turned to a 'lifestyle', and who deserve to suffer.
The Group takes a more nuanced approach, and whilst it never talks about how addiction is a disease, or how people are driven to crime to fund their addiction, it does treat its cast of drug addicts and recoverees as real people, with varied stories and experiences. The film, from first time writer and director William Higo, makes audiences uncomfortable as these people trying to make their lives better become the victims of a twisted and vicious man who sees them as nothing more than junkie scum deserving of an awful fate.
The film begins by introducing us to Kara (Evangeline Burton), a young addict who ends up in hospital when accidentally overdoses. As soon as she's out of the hospital she heads to the local addiction support group, needing the help of her peers in order to figure out what she's to do next. However, it quickly becomes clear that Kara has some sour history with the group, and that her presence there isn't fully welcomed. Despite this, the group allows her in, and the small collection of people present settle in for an uncomfortable, at times almost adversarial, night.
Shortly into their meeting a man named Jack (Dylan Baldwin) arrives, having gained access to the building and locked the exit behind him. Jack is clearly there for trouble, and when the group attempts to leave he pulls a gun and shoots one of them. Tying the others to their chairs, Jack begins to torture them with the skeletons in their closets, forcing them to confront the things they did whilst at their worst, making them reflect on the lives that they damaged. With their lives on the line, and Jack willing to kill any of them, the group have to come together in order to try and survive.
The Group is a small film. Other than a couple of brief scenes set in a hospital room and a shitty looking flat everything takes place within the confines of a local community centre, the kind of hall that most people will have been to for a party or event at some point or another. It's a non-descript, banal location. And the singular, ordinary setting helps to hammer home the terror that Jack brings with him. It's violence and fear brought somewhere where you would least expect it to rear its head. The sole location channels the focus of the film onto the central cast, all of whom seem to be actors who've had small roles in the past, appearing in a few scattered episodes of British television and independent movies.
However, despite being made up of a cast of relative unknowns everyone here is on top form. Independent and small scale films tend to get looked down upon, especially by people who think that a film will be bad if they don't recognise any cast names in the credits. And whilst there are a lot of small films out there that do have some bad acting in them, The Group absolutely shines due to the central cast. The various members of the titular support group each have a well thought out backstory, with each of them having different reasons for being there and different ghosts haunting them. As the night progresses, and Jack moves from one member of the group to another, each of them get a time in the spotlight.
Jennifer Aries plays Charley, a young mother who's two years sober, working towards getting her son back after her neglect whilst on drugs led to her losing custody. She has a desperation to her that the others don't, a need to make sure that she never goes back to drugs so that she can be the parent her son deserves, and you can see how her past actions weigh heavily upon her. Mike Kelson plays ex-cop Dave who looks at the others as being beneath him, hating them for being 'junkies' where he sees himself as a man with an addiction, thinking that they're somehow not the same. Despite putting out the most 'normal' front there's things in his past that makes him one of the worst people in the room, and discovering that makes for a great moment that has you wondering if out of all of them there he perhaps deserves what he's going through.
Tom Coulson's Henry is a complete dick. He's a businessman who thinks his wealth and power makes him better, makes him important. He doesn't see his drug use as an addiction, just a fun part of the business life that got him into a bit of trouble. He has no desire to better himself, and just wants to tick off the required number of meetings to get the courts of his back before returning to his old ways. Nobuse Jnr plays Eddie, the member of the group who seems to be at his lowest. He's clearly struggling to get by, barely able to pour himself a cup of coffee at one point, who sneaks off to the toilets to shoot up. He's the one who needs the most help, and so it's beautifully ironic that he ends up as the only member of the group not captured by Jack, and so the only one who can help the rest. Alicia Novak plays Ellen, the person leading the recovery group, and perhaps the one we know least about. She plays the part of overly nice by slightly judgemental group leader well, and you're never sure if she's going to have words of encouragement or if she's going to chastise.
Seth, played by Luke Dayhill, is the person who at first seems to be the most put together. He's recovering from his addiction, making amends and fixing his family life, but there's also hints that there's something darker going on beneath the surface. He seems to be the first to want to try and do the right thing, but as the film progresses you start to question the motives he has. Kara, our lead, is perhaps the ideal of the stereotypical drug addict. She's a person who fell on bad times, but isn't a bad person, she's had to turn to crime to fund her addiction, but is trill trying to get better. She ticks a lot of the boxes when it comes to drug addict tropes, but she never feels like a trope thanks to the way that Burton plays her. There's a sense of vulnerability to her, and you feel like her sarcasm and quick comebacks are a defence mechanism designed to stop her from getting too hurt. She's incredibly human, and it makes her the ideal candidate to be the focus.
And then there's Jack, played by Dylan Baldwin. As soon as he's first on screen there's an edge to Jack that makes him uncomfortable, to the point where you can see the rest of the group getting immediately defensive, ready to deal with someone who seems like an asshole. However, he's much more sinister than just being a dick, and when things take a turn it's not too unbelievable. He has an intensity to him that even shines through in his calmer moments where you can see he's a man ready to snap at any moment. He's frightening because he feels so realistic, and will likely remind you of someone that you've probably met at some point.
The Group is a tight, personal story, one with minimal set and cast that makes the most of these limitations. Thanks to a tight scrip from Higo there's not really a moment to be bored, and you end up being drawn further and further into the awful events taking place on screen. Sitting at just an hour and fifteen minutes long, the film flies by, to the point where I felt a little disappointed that it wasn't longer. I found myself so engrossed in these characters and this story that I wanted more; but the film doesn't outstay its welcome, leaving me happy with the experience that I had, which is often more than can be said for some big budget blockbusters.
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