There are many films about drugs and addiction. But the ones worth watching are just as interested in their characters before and/or after their struggle as they are while in the throes of their torment. David Veloz's Permanent Midnight is one such film. Told in flashback, the film approaches its story with a strange detachment that really only becomes truly effective in the last act where Ben Stiller's character, writer-turned-junkie-turned-writer Jerry Stahl, goes hunting for a fix while "watching" over his infant daughter. I nearly gagged during a scene where he injects a shot of heroin into his neck in the front seat of his car while the baby wriggles in the passenger seat. The rest of the film is competent enough for its subject matter. It doesn't have the same illuminating insight into the life of addicts that superior drug films like Drugstore Cowboy (1989) and Trainspotting (1996) have. But the story beats are familiar and well executed. Plus, it's always nice to see Stiller in a dramatic role that gives him a chance to truly demonstrate his talents as an actor.
7/10
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