In the award-winning Crackheads, four men become addicted to methamphetamine, an addiction that sends them on a rollercoaster ride that is both disastrous and hilarious and will change their lives forever.

Crackheads was the winner of the Best Self-Funded Film at the New Zealand Film and Television Awards, while the film's Celeste Strewe was also nominated for her make-up design. The film also picked up an award for lead Jeremy Birchall for Best Actor at the New Hollywood Online Film Festival in 2014.

The characters themselves are for the most part caricatures, but fun ones - there's Jeremy Birchall's angry, racist priest; Preston O'Brien's not very successful psychologist; Kurt Stowers' used car salesman; and Alvin Maharaj's wannabe indian actor. While it may seem weird to wrap an entire feature film around characters who aren't exactly people you'd want to hang out with in your daily life, director Tim Tsiklauri does a nice job of weaving the four characters together and the film is at its very best when it's doing so.

Crackheads doesn't always work, and it's arguably true that the film won't always translate as well across the big ole' pond. That said, if you're looking for a solid indie comedy and an opportunity to support an up-and-coming filmmaker, then check out Crackheads on Itunes!

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic