ILFF10/2006 “Heroína / Heroin” (Feature Narrative)

dir. Gerardo Herrero, 2005, Spain, 110 min. Your son is a heroine addict. What’s a mother to do? For one Spanish woman in the drug-choked Galicia of the 1980s, the answer is simple: attack the dealers head-on. Based on real-life events, the film offers a view of the drug culture in a small town while telling the story of a family ripped apart by their son’s drug addiction and a mothers political activism. Pilar, a middle class wife and mother becomes the leader of a group of women fighting against the establishment and the drug barons. Determined to clean up the streets through a grassroots effort, Pilar rallies parents and the local press against some of the cities most visible and influential drug figures. A passionate glimpse into the domestic, social and political effects of “smack,” Heroína is an emotional take on an all too common family secret and the power of leadership by a mother who decided to fight back. Screening at 10th International Latino Film Festival – San Francisco Bay Area on 11/16/2006 @ 7:45 PM – @ Dominican University of California (San Rafael)