Heroin(e) (2017)

This is nominated in the Best Short Documentary category, and it is definitely topically timely.  The film takes a deep dive into one community dealing with an overwhelming heroin epidemic, which has spun largely out of a large chronic opioid pain medication addiction.  When the pills dried up, the heroin came in and it was plentiful and cheap, and nowhere was harder hit than West Virginia.  The mixture of poverty, hard labor, and lack of hope is a powerful mix that led to an inordinate use of pain medication.
The documentary follows three women — a fire chief, a judge, and a faith-based social worker — dedicated to doing anything they can to stave off West Virginia’s opioid epidemic. The resulting profiles shows three different sides of addiction all the while demonstrating just how devastating this crisis really is.
The documentary starts off with Deputy Chief for the Huntington Fire Department Jan Rader. Though most of film focuses on the small, daily ways heroin destroys these addicts’ lives, Rader’s job forces the audience to literally consider life or death. On multiple occasions, she’s shown trying to help a near comatose person.  She sees every save as a win, a chance for that person to consider quitting, and she is tireless in her pursuit of another chance.  It is well worth watching and is streaming on Netflix.